Proof Tony Stark Has A Heart
by xxhiphuggersxx
Summary: Post Avengers Fury believed a training exercise would bring the group closer together and they would be more willing to help next time someone tries taking over the world. Wrong. Of course Tony is the main problem, but nobody knows why. Natasha knew they need to bring in the big guns on this one if they wanted to make it through this week. Pepper Potts. Squeal to You're All I Have
1. Chapter 1

Squeal to "You're All I Have" and is set after the Avengers so if you haven't seen that movie well you've been warned for spoilers! Enjoy and let me know what you think! I'm trying a new angle per say and your input will help!

* * *

You would think after saving the world together, six people would be able to get along with each other.

Not really the case.

"I'm not doing this anymore! I'm done!"

"Come on Capsicle!"

"You are the most infuriating person I have ever met and the thought of spending four more days with you makes me want to…."

"What? Throw your spandex on and pose for photos?"

"Enough!"

"See Caps you are going to unless the green giant soon."

"Alright! Both of you shut up!"

About a month after the disaster in New York the Avengers were called to the new headquarters located away from civilization for a training exercise and team building. Fury believed it would bring the group closer together and they would be more willing to help next time someone tries taking over the world. He was very much wrong.

The only one not present was Thor. Though an avenger, it is not easy for him to fly under the radar when coming to earth.

Natasha sat with her hands on her head trying to rid the migraine that was building in her head thanks to all the men surrounding her. The problem wasn't Steve, it wasn't Bruce, and it wasn't Clint, and not even Fury this time.

It was Tony. Yes, big shocker. They had been at the training exercise for three days already and he was starting to drive everyone nuts. Tony made it very clear he wasn't coming to this, but then when Fury threatened to lock him in solitary confinement with nothing but the sound of Justin Hammer's voice, he gave in.

"Why must you argue every idea that I come up with?" Steve yelled at Tony. Tony just sat in his chair and stared at him.

"Um, because they are stupid." He simply answered.

And to think what they were fighting about was even stupider than the first fight they had on day one.

Today's fight was about what the construction of the new avengers' headquarters. Fury tasked them with simple normal people problems, but the mistake was he gave it to not normal people. They were also people with very different tastes. This headquarters is where future meetings would be held and each avenger would be given a section for overnight tasks. That way they wouldn't be crammed together like they are now. The only thing they were given was the location of the new headquarters. It was to be in Dallas, Texas.

"Tony, having a giant building in the middle of Dallas is not flying under the radar!" Clint argued. Tony sat up in his chair and looked at Clint.

"Did I say, let's put a giant sign on the building saying "Avengers"? No! Having a tower would give each of us a level. Me on the top because of my suit and then the rest of you below."

"Wait wait…" Steve said and held a hand up. "Why would you get the top if we had a tower? If anything Thor should have the top!"

Tony scratched his goatee and shook his head.

"Nah, my ideas I get first pick."

"We aren't doing a tower!" Clint yelled. Tony stood up and put his hands on the table.

"Well going underground is not going to work either!"

Natasha sighed and stood up. She walked out of the room to leave the men to their quarrels. This fighting needed to end. She liked Steve's original idea of a warehouse type design and cover it up as a manufacturing company, but of course Tony didn't like the idea of being locked up in a "manufacturing" building. Natasha knew it must not be the reason why. Tony's mind operated in many ways and when he is in a bad mood it doesn't function… quite right. She didn't see what the big deal was about staying here a week, but apparently he was very against it. Natasha suspects his anger for that is coming out today during this project.

Natasha knew they need to bring in the big guns on this one if they wanted to make it through this week.

* * *

"You want to what?"

"Sir, it is the only way things will go smoothly the rest of the week." Natasha argued to Fury as they walked down the corridors of the headquarters.

"No, no, no, first off it is a breach in security and Maria wouldn't like that. Second of all, I'll just threaten him again." Fury answered back. Natasha shook her head.

"That won't do any good but get him in a worse mood. And security wise, she already knows about the avengers."

Fury's head snapped around and he had a frown.

"Excuse me? Do rules mean nothing in this whole thing? Or the fact that I'm the boss and when I say no it means no."

"Tony Stark doesn't follow rules. He views them more as guidelines. Of course he will tell her everything and I'm beginning to get the impression you already know that." Natasha said and crossed her arms. Fury just sighed.

"Think it will work?" he asked. Natasha nodded.

"Anything to get them to stop fighting over a building design for goodness sakes! They've had way better arguments than that."

Fury took a minute to think things through before nodding.

"Fine, for the good of the team, I'll agree."

Natasha nodded and pulled out her phone and hit the speed dial number for that contact. When she heard the other line pick up she said,

"How the hell do you put up with him?"

* * *

Tony sighed and flopped down onto his bed. The room Fury assigned to him was about one third the size of his room at home, it was a queen bed not a king, and the bathroom was the size of a broom closet.

It wasn't really the size of the room that mattered to him. It was when he rolled over at night to any empty side.

It wasn't really fair to him. Of course, Tony thought a lot of things weren't fair to him. However this situation was different.

Stark Industries was working on a brand of car, designed by Tony himself, and so attention was needed there. His future in laws was supposed to be flying out to Stark Tower next week.

But that wasn't what he saw unfair.

What was unfair was he was told recently another Stark would be entering this world in seven months and before he has time to celebrate he is snatched away by SHIELD.

That was what was unfair.

Tony picked up his pillow and threw it at the wall. Was it karma doing this to him? He sighed and then threw his other pillow at the wall.

He didn't really care about the building design. He could care less really.

What he cared about was the woman thousands of miles away.

He missed his Pepper Potts… and their wonderful creation that she was carrying inside of her.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony couldn't sleep that night so he snuck out of his room and headed down to the lab to find something to play with. He had been there for almost four hours before Bruce found him. Bruce always woke up early and thought he would be alone.

"Hey… did you just reconstruct the whole lab?" Bruce asked with shock as he walked in and found everything in different places. Tony nodded. Bruce was the only person he really got along with.

"It'll run more efficiently this way." He answered. Bruce watched Tony continue to work and saw Tony was developing dark lines under his eyes.

"Have you slept at all while we've been here?" Bruce asked as he turned on a computer. Tony shrugged.

"Couple hours here and there."

Bruce shook his head.

"You'll die today then. I overheard Fury saying he's putting the headquarters project on hold and you guys will be doing some working out."

Tony frowned.

"You won't be?"

Bruce shook his head.

"Not very safe… you know being underground and increasing my heart rate,"

Tony chuckled. Bruce smiled. "Seriously though, have you slept at all?"  
Bruce was also the only other avenger besides Natasha who had met Pepper. Bruce worked on some projects with Tony at his tower and had the honour of meeting the woman who keeps Tony in line.

Tony ignored his question and continued working. Bruce just shook his head. He knew he'd never get a straight answer.

* * *

Later on that afternoon, Tony met Steve, Natasha, and Clint in the gym where Fury stood waiting. Fury gave a fake smile and said,

"So how was last nights project?" Steve rolled his eyes while Clint groaned. Fury chuckled. "Well we're going to put that off for now. Figured maybe a little work out would get the juices flowing… Stark you look like crap."

Everyone turned and looked at Tony. Natasha saw the dark lines under his eyes and was know happy she made the call. Tony didn't answer, he just mumbled some words under his breath.

"I don't see the point of this, sir." Steve commented. Fury raised his eyebrows.

"Oh? Do I need to state the avengers idea again?"

"No!" They all said. Fury smiled.

"I don't get why we aren't doing super hero exercises." Clint said. Natasha nodded in agreement. Fury crossed his arms.

"None of you in this room are normal and so learning to take on normal projects is part of becoming a team."

Fury then tossed Tony and Steve red jerseys and Natasha and Clint black ones.

"Aww do I really have to be with Spandex and Stripes?" Tony whined. Steve glared at Tony as he put on his jersey. Fury nodded.

"You both need to learn how to get along."

"I'd rather take my chances with an alligator." Steve mumbled. Fury then took out a basketball. They all groaned and Fury smiled. This would be fun.

* * *

Bruce watched the team pile into the mini kitchen. He smiled and observed how exhausted and sweaty they all looked. Fury was right behind them and he didn't look very happy. Tony groaned as he sat down.

"So, how did it go?" Bruce asked.

Everybody then proceeded to answer Bruce.

"Steve destroyed the ball."

"Clint cheated."

"Tony made an unnecessary foul."

"Black Spider kicked me in the back!"

Bruce nodded.

"Sounds fun."

Fury shook his head. How these people saved New York together, he does not know.

"I've just about had enough," Fury says to break up all the yelling. "If you all continue this I will keep you here longer."

Tony then stood up quickly and very angrily. He didn't care his back was screaming in pain.

"The hell you are," He growled. "You're lucky I'm staying for a week! Saturday morning I'm leaving this hell hole whether we get along or not!"

And then of course more yelling starts. Natasha sighed and just leant back against the wall and watched.

It was right then when she heard the sound of heels clicking through the halls. She let out a breath of relief. Maybe now things would get done and they would be able to go home. Then she noticed how Tony went quiet. Natasha let out another breath. He heard it to.

"Are you even listening Stark?" Steve yelled. Tony didn't respond. He suddenly turned and ran out the door and into the hallway. Everyone watched him run out and they all had confused looks on their faces.

Tony looked in both directions down the hall and his breath caught in his throat. Standing in the hallway talking with Maria was Pepper. She was dressed in black pants and a purple blouse. Tony moved faster down the hall and just as Pepper turned to see him coming she was whisked off her feet and into his arms. She smiled and kissed his cheek.

"I heard you're being an ass." She said. Tony put her down and hugged her. He buried his face in her neck and shrugged.

Down the hall, everybody but Fury was looking down the hallway and watching Tony reuniting with Pepper. Steve frowned.

"So much for him never lifting another thing again. Who is that?" he asked.

"Pepper Potts," Bruce answered. Everyone turned and looked at him. "Tony's girlfriend."

Clint's eyes went wide. "He has a girlfriend? Tony Stark…. The man being an arrogant, rude, jackass to us has a girlfriend?"

Natasha nodded. Steve was shocked and turned back to see Tony and Pepper talking.

"Who… how…?" Tony questioned. Pepper smiled.

"Natasha called me last night. She told me you were being… well you only worse."

Tony gave a small smile and pressed his forehead against hers.

"Well what do you expect? I find out the greatest news and then I'm ripped away."

Pepper was going to respond when she saw all the avengers staring at them. Tony turned and groaned. He knew the conversation wasn't over. It was just on hold. He took Pepper's hand and led her down the hall. Pepper recognized Natasha and Bruce, but she wasn't familiar with Steve and Clint.

"Pepper, this is Steve Rogers, he plays Capsicle in our super secret boy band. The other is Clint Barton who plays Tweetie."

Pepper elbowed him in the stomach and he groaned. Steve and Clint smiled.

"I like her," Steve said and extended his hand. "Steve Rogers."

Pepper smiled and shook his hand and then Clint's.

"It's nice to see you again Miss. Potts." Bruce said and exchanged a small hug with Pepper. Clint frowned.

"You know her?" he asked. Bruce nodded.

"Tony and Bruce did some remodeling on the tower and in the Stark labs," Pepper answered. "And please call me Pepper."

"Are we done with introductions now?" Tony asked. Pepper flashed him a look. "What? I'm hungry."

Fury then came out of the kitchen. He looked at Pepper, but didn't say anything. Instead he turned to the team.

"One hour lunch break before we begin the nighttime exercise."

Everybody groaned and moved towards the kitchen. Tony pulled Pepper back so it was just them in the hallway again.

"I'm glad you're here." He said into her ear. Pepper smiled and then looked at Tony's face. She took it in both her hands and examined him.

"How much sleep have you gotten these past few days?" she asked. Tony shrugged.

"Maybe five to six."

Pepper shook her head.

"No wonder you're being a jackass to everybody. You need sleep before you do anything else."

Tony nuzzled the side of her head.

"Then come take a nap with me." he said almost as a plead. Pepper raised her eyebrows.

"I thought you said you were hungry?"

"The food is shit here." He mumbled and kissed her temple. Pepper chuckled. She pulled back, but kept her arms wrapped around him.

"Fine, I'll go with you to nap. And I mean nap, Tony."

Tony pouted, but Pepper would have none of it. He looked like crap.

* * *

"Where did Stark go?" Fury asked when he returned to the kitchen and found only four avengers. When he agreed to let Pepper come he agreed to her helping put him in line, not being a distraction. Clint shrugged and Natasha answered.

"Pepper texted me and said he looked like crap and was making him take a nap." Natasha answered. Steve chuckled.

"Yeah, napping is always on a playboy's mind."

Bruce frowned and Natasha rolled her eyes. Fury just shook his head and ordered everyone to suit up and for someone to go get Tony. Steve claimed he didn't want to see Tony "napping" so he fled from the kitchen to suit up. Clint was on his heels so it was up to Natasha or Bruce. Bruce eventually just volunteered so Natasha could suit up. He headed down to Tony's room and when he reached the door he pressed his ear to the door to make sure he wouldn't be interrupting anything. When he heard no noise he lightly knocked on the door and opened it a crack. Pepper was awake, but Tony was out like a light and wrapped around her. His head was buried in her chest and his legs were tangled in hers while his arms are wrapped around her waist. Pepper had one hand running through his hair and another rubbing circles on his back. She looked up and gave Bruce a small smile and the nod to come in. Bruce quietly shut the door and walked over to Pepper's side of the bed.

"How is he?" he asked quietly. Pepper looked down at him. He seemed much more at peace than he did when she first got here.

"Exhausted, frustrated, but as of now he seems more relaxed." She answered. Bruce chuckled a little bit.

"Well, I guess you're the trick to getting him to sleep. He's been reckless the whole time."

Pepper sighed and looked around the room. Then back at Bruce.

"Is this room bugged?" she asked. Bruce shook his head.

"No, Tony made sure it wasn't on the first day."

Pepper nodded and looked back down at Tony before taking a deep breath and looking at Bruce.

"He's been reckless because I'm pregnant and he recently proposed."

Bruce's eyes went wide and he sat down in the chair beside the bed. He didn't see that one coming.

"Wow."

Pepper nodded. "I said yes of course, but I had just told him I was pregnant when Fury called and snatched him away."

Bruce nodded and sat back.

"That would explain a lot of things," Pepper chuckled a bit and looked back down at Tony. "Have you told anybody else?"

Pepper shook her head.

"Only you know. My parents are coming to Stark Tower next week and my brother, Jake, is coming to the dinner where we are telling them."

Bruce felt honoured that Pepper trusted him with that information. It then occurred to him that if he didn't return soon with Tony that Fury might come looking for him himself.

"I will keep the information to myself," Bruce stated and stood up. Pepper gave a small smile of appreciation. "Tony is needed now, though. Suited up and everything."

"Are you suiting up tonight?" Pepper asked. Bruce sighed.

"Fury wants me to, says he has a dart gun with a chemical that will decrease my heart rate and I'll return… well normal I guess is the right word. It is still risky though with this place being underground. He has robots being set up in the gym and we have to destroy them in a certain amount of time."

Pepper snorted. "Sounds like New York."

Tony suddenly jerked awake and his eyes opened. Pepper kept threading her fingers through his hair until he took in his surroundings. Pepper felt him relax against her and put his head back down onto her chest.

"Hey, you have to wake up." Pepper said and nudged at him. He mumbled something unintelligent and shook his head.

"I'm comfy here."

"It looks it," Bruce said. Tony snapped his head around and saw Bruce standing there. Well, it was better than having Fury come get him. "Fury needs you suited up now."

Tony groaned and got off of Pepper. Bruce headed to the door and was going to open it when Pepper spoke up,

"I told him about our situations, Tony." She said. Tony nodded and looked at Bruce. If any avenger had to find out he was glad it was Bruce.

"And your secret will stay with me."

Tony gave a small nod and thanked Bruce. Bruce then left the couple to get sorted. Once the door was shut, Tony laid back down on the bed and moaned.

"Why do I have to be such a damn good hero?"  
Pepper smiled as he sat back up again. She moved and wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Think of it this way, the sooner you all begin to get along as a team when you aren't fighting a war, the sooner you can come home."

Tony leant back into Pepper and turned so he could kiss her. She did have a very good point. In his mind, the sooner this was over, the sooner he could begin working on the nursery.


	3. Chapter 3

Pepper chuckled as Tony came back into the bedroom three hours later. He didn't look happy. She put on a sweet smile and put her book off to the side.

"So did you have fun?" she asked. Tony glared at her before collapsing onto the bed. Pepper smiled and moved so she was next to him.

"Fury doesn't think we have enough energy so tomorrow we are all… well everybody minus Bruce… will suit up and race under extreme conditions."

Pepper raised her eyebrows. This sounded more like army training. She took his hand and rubbed her thumb over his knuckles soothingly.

"Did the other guy show up?"

Tony shook his head.

"No, Bruce thinks it is too dangerous."

Pepper then thought of something that would cheer Tony up and so she got up and went over to her bag. Tony raised his eyebrows as she did and was a bit confused.

"I knew you would be losing your mind here and so I brought a little present," she said and reached into her bag and pulled out the alarm clock. Tony grinned and jumped off the bed. "Maybe now you'll work better."

Tony took the alarm clock and then kissed Pepper. Pepper smiled against it and then watched Tony powered Jarvis up.

"Hello sir, it has been a while." Jarvis greeted. Tony nodded.

"Damn right! Now here is the game plan," he said and turned to Pepper. "Everybody has gone to bed, but I am still hungry so…. If you aren't too tired maybe you could come with me to the kitchen and then the labs and work on models?"

Pepper smiled and nodded. She slipped her sneakers on and Tony took her hand (Jarvis in the other) and headed to the kitchen.

* * *

"Tony, that is really loud. You might wake up everybody."

Tony and Pepper were currently in the lab working on adjustments to Tony's Malibu house when Tony ordered Jarvis to blast AC/DC songs. The first one on the list was "Shoot to Thrill" and it was quite loud. Tony continued playing with the projections while Pepper looked through projections of an addition Tony would have built near their bedroom for the nursery. What she didn't know was Tony had big plans for the space.

"Nah, these labs are like sound proof," He answered. Pepper shrugged and continued to work. Tony then randomly jumped onto a rolling chair and went over to a computer. He plugged something into the side and worked his magic. "Jarvis, bring up the land SHIELD has for the new headquarters."

"Yes sir."

Then Tony's house disappeared and the land appeared. Pepper frowned.

"What are you thinking?" she asked as he came back over. Tony stared at the land and then spun the holograph around. He got his thinking face on and then went back over to the computer and typed something in. A basic rectangular two story building appeared and Tony came back over.

"I'm thinking…" Tony began and brought out his laser that would create additions or rid of some of the holographic design. "If the main operations of SHIELD remain underground, then above ground could be…" he said and cut part of the top off the building. "Where the avengers stay. Thor would be…." He said and trailed. He looked a little confused and so Pepper picked up another laser and created a third floor that was only half the size of the rest of the building. Tony smiled. "Perfect."

Pepper smiled.

"But shouldn't you be doing this with the rest of the team?" she asked as she watched him create an addition to the side of the building. He shrugged.

"I don't play well with others."

Pepper laughed, "Yeah I know."

Tony continued working for another ten minutes before Pepper nudged him. Tony looked up at the door and saw a very tired Natasha standing there in a black robe and pajamas with slippers.

"I could kill you," She hissed. "Damn music woke me up."

Pepper looked at Tony and crossed her arms. "I thought you said the lab was sound proof?"

Tony shook his finger and head. "No, I said they are LIKE sound proof. There's a difference."

Pepper just rolled her eyes and apologized to Natasha. Natasha shuffled into the room and looked at the building design they were working on.

"Is that supposed to be the new headquarter?" she asked. Tony nodded. Natasha made an impressive face. "Not bad, but where are the rest of SHIELD operations?"

"Underground," Tony answered. "That way we at least have windows."

Natasha took the laser from Tony and began to make an adjustment to the building. Tony raised his eyebrows and Natasha went to hand him the laser back. Pepper took it and handed it to Tony since he didn't like being handed things.

"What did you add?" Pepper asked.

"A gym." Natasha answered with a yawn and sat down in a chair. The lab doors then opened again, this time revealing a very tired looking Steve. He was dressed in blue pajama pants and a white tank top.

"What the hell Stark?" he growled and slammed the door shut. Pepper just shook her head and glared at Tony. He didn't seem to pay any attention to Steve. Steve looked and saw Natasha curled up in the chair.

"Jarvis, turn the music off," Pepper ordered. The music then cut and Tony frowned. Tony then clapped his hands together and the holographs went away. "Does this mean you'll go to bed now?"

Tony took Pepper's hand and then the alarm clock Jarvis.

"My motivation to work has been killed so might as well." Tony growled.

"Wait," Steve said and he sighed. Tony turned around and glared at him. "Was that a model of the headquarters?"

Tony didn't answer; he just put the alarm clock back down and clicked the holographs back on. Steve scratched his chin and looked at it.

"I like it." Natasha yawned. Steve nodded.

"Not bad Stark," He said and turned to Tony. "However I think the gym should be in the middle, that way we don't have to walk through other people's space to get to it."

Tony took out his laser again and made the adjustments. As he was doing that, the lab doors opened and revealed a tired Clint and a somewhat tired Bruce.

"How come we weren't invited to the party?" Clint mumbled and looked around to see he and Bruce were the last to arrive. Bruce walked over to the holographic image and studied it.

"Yes it is the new Avengers clubhouse." Tony grumbled before Bruce or Clint asked. Pepper looked at Tony and knew he wasn't thrilled more people joined their little party in the lab.

"So," Clint said as he looked at it. "It's me and Natasha on the first floor, then Stark and Bruce on the second floor with an extension of a lab and Steve on the other side of the lab. Then Thor on top? Works for me."

Bruce nodded in agreement.

"Might I make a suggestion," Bruce said and turned to Tony. "Perhaps the lab should be in between our rooms rather than between me and Steve."

Tony tossed Bruce the laser and let Bruce make the adjustment.

"Congrats," Pepper said to Tony. He looked confused. "You all just finished your first avenger task."

"Wonderful," Natasha said with a hint of sarcasm. "Now I'm going to bed."

Pepper smiled and looked at the clock. She and Tony should be in bed as well. Clint put his hand up and looked at the holograph again.

"How come Stark gets more room than the rest of us?" he asked and crossed his arms. Pepper looked closely at the design and she knew why he did. If there was ever a situation where he needed to bring along their baby. She knew he'd set Jarvis up and would have camera fees in his suit. She wasn't thrilled with the idea of their child being in this place, but it was nice to know he prepared.

Tony shrugged.

"Looks the same."

Clint shook his head. "No, you have like a room and a half! Why do you get more room?"

Tony rolled his eyes and then expanded the building. "There, now we all have the same amount of space."

Natasha sighed and looked at the building while shaking her head.

"It is too big now. It won't fit around the perimeter."

"I say we race for the extra space!" Clint challenged Tony. Tony shook his head.

"No. The design stays as is."

Pepper sighed. She knew he wouldn't win this argument without the team knowing the true reason why. Bruce had been quiet for most of the argument until now.

"We'll reduce the size of the gym so then there is more room on the first floor for Clint and Natasha."

Nobody spoke. They all just stood there thinking. Finally Clint nodded.

"I can agree to that."

Pepper shot a grateful look towards Bruce who nodded back. She sensed he knew why Tony expanded his area. Tony closed the holograph again and took Jarvis and Pepper's hand. He wasted no time in getting out of there. He didn't want to fight again.

* * *

"You expanded your in case you ever had to bring our child, didn't you?" Pepper asked. They were curled up against each other in the darkness of the room trying to fall asleep. Tony loved it when she said "our child". He was spooned against Pepper from behind and he kissed her neck. He smiled when he felt her shiver.

"Yeah, just in case." He answered. He continued to kiss her neck and she then knew where he was headed.

"No Tony, we aren't doing anything like that while we are here." She said firmly. He sighed.

"Why not?" He whined.

"Because I am not getting caught by your SHIELD buddies. It was bad enough when Bruce saw us groping on the couch with me half naked."

Tony chuckled at the memory. He then looked down at Pepper and saw she was seconds away from sleep. He moved closer to her and closed his eyes to finally get some good night sleep.

* * *

The good night sleep only last for five hours. Pepper's sudden movements to get out of his embrace waked Tony. He let go and watched her get out of bed and run to the bathroom. As soon as his brain registered what was happening he jumped out of bed and went into the bathroom. Pepper had her head in the toilet and was making noises Tony never wants to hear from her again, but he knows he will. He sits behind her and pulls her hair back while his other hand is rubbing her lower back.

"I hate you." Pepper gasped as she flushed the toilet. Tony shrugged.

"Takes two to tango," He said. Pepper flashed him a look, but it disappeared when she threw up again. This went on for another ten minutes before Pepper decided she was done. Tony helped her up to the sink so she could brush her teeth. "You need tea."

Pepper rinsed her mouth and nodded. Tony hated how she looked so exhausted and that she had been going through this alone for three days.

"Tea would be nice." She said softly. Tony took her hand and led her back to the bed.

"I'll go get you some and bring it back."

Pepper shook her head slowly and stood up.

"No, I'm coming with you. Last thing I want is Fury snatching you again and you leaving me."

Tony sighed and brought her into a hug.

"I'd never leave you hanging, Pep." He whispered and kissed her temple. She looked up at him.

"Firefighter benefit." She reminded him. He rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around her waist to help her walk since her legs were still a bit shaky from being sick. They strolled down the hallway and to the kitchen.

"I didn't mean to, honestly." He said with puppy dog eyes. Pepper just smiled. They entered the kitchen and went straight for the cabinets. They didn't notice Steve sitting in the corner reading the paper. Steve watched them with curiosity as Tony looked through things while keeping one arm around Pepper. He still didn't understand how someone as nice and smart as Pepper was with the likes of Tony Stark, but then again people change.

Tony found two types of tea and showed them to Pepper. She pointed to the one she wanted and watched Tony take it out and then fill a cup with water. He stuck the cup in the microwave and heated the water. As they stood there waiting for the tea, Tony saw her eyes beginning to close a bit so he wrapped both his arms around her and let her rest her head on his chest.

"Tell me it gets better." She mumbled. Tony smiled and kissed the top of her head (Steve still unnoticed).

"Of course it gets better," he said and met her eyes. "I can't promise you it will be soon, but I can promise you in seventh months it will."

Steve frowned and slowly put down his newspaper. What would be in seven months?

Pepper smiled and raised herself a bit and was going to kiss him when the microwave went off. Tony took out the water and added the tea bag.

"I'll need new clothes soon," she said with a hint of sadness. "Can't exactly wear skirts to work. I mean I could but I would look very fat."

Tony shook his head as he fixed the tea.

"No, you would look very pregnant. There is a difference."

Steve's eyes went wide and he nearly coughed out his coffee. This caught Pepper and Tony's attention. Tony's eyes went wide and dark with anger. Pepper gasped when she saw Steve sitting there.

"Steve!" she said. Steve stood up and walked over to them.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Tony sneered. Steve shook his head and put his best lying face on.

"No! I was reading the paper. I thought you saw me when you came in I swear."

Pepper bit her lip. He had heard everything.

"What you heard in here stays in here or you will be sorry." Tony said very angrily. Steve nodded his head fast.

"Absolutely… er congratulations."

Pepper nodded and gave a small smile. "Thank you."

Things began clicking in Steve's head. Why Tony had been so pissy, why when Pepper came everything was better, and why he wanted more room at the new headquarters. Tony turned his attention back to the tea and handed it to Pepper, who took it gratefully.

"Does… does anybody else know?" Steve asked as Tony and Pepper sat down at the table.

"Bruce knows, but other than that nobody else not even my parents know yet." Pepper answered and sipped her tea.

Steve wondered why Bruce got to know or if he found out like he did, but he didn't bring it up. He didn't want to get Tony any angrier. Pepper finished up her tea and Tony took her cup and put it in the sink. Pepper rose carefully and Tony rewrapped his arm around her. Steve nodded a good bye and watched them leave. He felt kind of bad now for how he acted around Tony the past couple days and for listening to their conversation.

But who wouldn't be curious about Tony Stark settling down for once in his life?

* * *

A/N: I may not be able to update for a couple days since I have been slammed with work... but you know reviews might make me stay up late tomorrow night to work on a nice long chapter ;)


	4. Chapter 4

Tony was suited up and ready for his mission inside the gym. Natasha was currently in there now and has been in there for up to six minutes. Steve had a time of eleven minutes and Clint had a time of ten. Tony was the last to go. He was currently with Pepper standing by the gym door waiting to go in.

"Come on," Tony whined and leant into Pepper. "Give me a smooch for good luck."

Pepper rolled her eyes and kissed the mental part of his helmet. Tony frowned and she laughed at the frown.

"There, better?" she sweetly asked.

"Hell no!" Tony said and wrapped his arms around Pepper. She found it a bit uncomfortable with the suit, but she wouldn't complain.

"You're not going to die in there." She replied. Tony shrugged.

"Who knows," he said and leant closer to her face. "I mean I could get seriously injured and be out of commission for a while."

Pepper just rolled her eyes again and granted Tony his wish of a kiss. It was like their first kiss on the rooftop before Rhodey interrupted them. This time it wasn't Rhodey interrupting.

"Stark," A low voice said. Tony and Pepper broke apart and Tony looked to his side to see Fury standing there with his hands on his hips. Fury walked towards them a bit. "You're up. The time to beat is nine minutes."

Tony put his mask down and then looked at Pepper once more. She gave a small smile.

"Will that be all Mr. Stark?" she whispered, but Fury heard anyways.

"That will be all, Miss. Potts."

Pepper smiled and watched him open the gym door and head out into the darkness. Fury watched as well and then headed down the corridor. Pepper put her hand over her abdomen and smiled. There was a tiny bump, but would only be noticeable to someone who was looking for it. Bruce turned the corner and saw Pepper standing there.

"Hi," he said to grab her attention. Pepper removed her hand and turned to smile at Bruce. "You watching him in the other room with the rest of us?"

Pepper raised her eyebrows and began walking down the hall with him.

"I didn't realize I could."

Bruce shrugged.

"Nobody will mind. It's not like you're a spy."

Pepper chuckled and followed Bruce down to where the others were. When they entered the room, Fury was talking with Maria as they watched Tony on a giant movie theatre like screen. Then she saw Steve and when he met her eye he immediately looked away. Then he saw Natasha and Clint sitting off to the side at a table. Pepper sat down in a chair next to Bruce and watched Tony fight off… whatever it was in there. It looked like robots to her. It was as if they were watching a movie. There was surround sound and everything.

"Now, what is it he is trying to get?" Pepper whispered to Bruce.

"He doesn't have to get anything," Bruce answered. "He has to defeat all the robots in good time. Natasha holds the record with nine minutes."

Pepper nodded and began watching again. She smiled at his quickness and ability to anticipate what will happen. Of course he had massive help from Jarvis, but Tony did do some of it as well. Pepper looked at her watch. He had to defeat the robots in less than three minutes if he wanted to beat Natasha. She was curious if there was some reward to winning.

"Once Stark is done," Fury says and turns around to face the team. He notices Pepper with Bruce, but says nothing. "Take an hour and freshen up before we have a regulation meeting."

Natasha and Clint groaned and stood up.

"Why?" Steve asked. It was Maria who answered.

"Once you leave this building on Saturday you are back to your… normal lives… and with your normal lives there are protocols that must be followed."

"Like?" Steve continued to push. Maria looked at Pepper and then at Fury.

"You might as well just say it," Bruce said to Maria. "Tony will tell her anyways and chances are he'll remember these "rules" if Pepper remembers."

Maria took one more glance at Fury and then he nodded. So, Maria continued,

"Some of it will cover your careers and other parts about your personal lives."

Bruce frowned. "Such as?"

Before anybody could answer the buzzer to signal Tony was done went off. Pepper smiled. His time was eight minutes and fifty-two seconds. Bruce signaled to Pepper to follow him. They left the room and headed down a different corridor to find the exit. Once they reached it, they found Tony coming out and it looked like he barely got scratched. He flipped the front part of his mask off to reveal his grin.

"Who is the best?" he said with arms open wide. Pepper shook her head and smiled. "See that smooch helped!"

Before Tony could get into any more detail about his previous encounter with Pepper, Fury turned the corner.

"Not bad," he commented. Tony nodded. "Now clean up and meet in the meeting room," Fury ordered. Tony sighed. So much for this avengers thing not pertaining to him anymore. Fury looked at Pepper. "Oh, Banner tells me you're more likely to follow the rules if Pepper knows the rules? Bring her along as well."

And with that, Fury walked off.

* * *

They were all seated around a round table waiting for Fury and Maria. Tony sat next to Pepper, who had Bruce next to her, and he had Steve next to him with Clint on the other side of Steve and Natasha next to Clint.

"Can we go home yet?" Tony groaned and put his head down on the table. Pepper took his hand under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Fury and Maria then walked in and sat down. Tony sat up and waited. Maria passed out a form that looked like it needed signing. Tony handed his to Pepper and she began to look over the contents.

"So, we have to sign this after we review everything?" Bruce asked. Fury nodded. "Well what if I don't agree?"

"Then you'll have problems." Maria said.

"Now, I guess we will begin with the security issues," Fury began and took out a folder. "Now, the only avenger known to the public by their secret identity is Stark. So, Stark you'll have different security than the others since you are known."

"I don't need your security," Tony growled. Pepper sighed. This would be a pleasant meeting. "I have my own."

Maria passed Fury a paper. Then Fury spoke while looking at the paper, "Yes you have a bodyguard named Happy Hogan and your house security system. That won't cover everything. I will assign undercover SHIELD agents in Stark Industries and in the neighborhood near your house."

Tony shook his head.

"No, I'm not having another Natalie Rushman." He said and looked at Natasha.

"Aren't you still in need of a personal assistant?" Maria questioned. Tony shook his head in the negative.

"No, Pep and I are co CEOs and so we basically have the same agendas. I just follow her."

Pepper smirked. "Aren't I lucky?"

Natasha smiled at Pepper.

"We'll get back to that." Fury said and then explained the separate security protocols to the other avengers. Pepper leant over to Tony and whispered,

"Why won't you agree to agents at Stark Industries?"

"For one, it is creepy. Second, I don't like the idea of being watched. Third, I don't like the idea of passing someone in the hallway and staring at them to see if they are an agent."

"Then don't stare!"

"Are you saying you'd agree to this?"

"If it means keeping you safe if the building is ever attacked then yes!"

"I'm Iron Man."

"Stark!" Fury snapped to get his and Pepper's attention.

"Yes dear?" Tony answered back. Fury rolled his eyes.

"Now that ALMOST everyone has signed the security paper," Fury said and emphasized the 'almost', "We need to move onto the personal protocol. I'll assume this first one again, doesn't have to apply to Stark," Fury said. Tony raised his eyebrows. "This one is in regards to romantic relationships."

"What?" Steve asked.

"Before you can become involved with a significant other you need to notify us of the person so we can do a background check." Maria answered.

"And it doesn't apply to Tony because?" Clint asked. Well that was a stupid question. Tony looked down at Clint with a 'duh' face on. Clint looked and saw and also saw the same look on Pepper. "Ah, right."

"I'll agree as long as SHIELD does not tell me anything in her profile unless she is a killer trying to murder me." Steve says. Clint nodded in agreement.

"Agreed," Fury said and moved onto the next paper. "Now, this one may apply more to Stark in the near future unless you four are hiding something from me, which is impossible because I know everything."

"If Tony has different protocols than them then why are we having a joint meeting?" Pepper asked. Tony smirked at Fury. That was his girl. Bruce raised his eyebrows. She did make a point. "Is it really necessary for the others to know Tony's protocols?"

Tony looked at Pepper. "Have I ever told you how wonderful you are?"

Pepper flashed him a look, but it only made him smirk more. Now everybody was looking at Fury and Maria with curiosity.

"This security contract also has far too many loopholes and whatever effects Tony effects me as well."

Fury frowned. "What loopholes?"

Pepper raised her eyebrows.

"The third passage is basically allowing you access to our house's security system in not only the Stark Tower, but our house in Malibu as well. You just worded it to make it sound fancy," Pepper said with a tone that Tony knew very well. It was not a nice tone. "I don't like the idea of a secret government agency having a key to my house."

Steve then flipped through the contract he signed.

"Hey, ya! I'm not agreeing to that!" he said angrily and scribbled his name out. Tony just sat there with the same smirk on his face. He looked happier than a kid in a candy store.

"Also to have a SHIELD agent always following you, which is basically what section two says," Pepper continues and shakes her head. "That one certainly will not happen."

Bruce looked down and nodded his head in agreement and did what Steve did.

"I agree with that statement."

Fury was getting frustrated now. "Miss. Potts, the avengers security purposes won't apply to you all the time…" he began and she raised her eyebrows.

"Like I said," Pepper said back with equal force. "I will not allow SHIELD to have open access to our house. Of course these security and personal things apply to me. Unless he is on a mission, I am where he is."

"My other half." Tony said cheerfully and sat back in his seat. He loved this show.

Fury sighed. "I will take out the home security if you both agree to the SHIELD shadow."

Tony and Pepper looked at each other. There were still things they didn't want the world knowing like their engagement and pregnancy. Tony shook his head.

"No, I won't allow that. I have my own security system that works and it will stay as is," Tony said firmly. "And if I find out we do have an agent following us SHIELD will not be having a good day. I agreed to do this boy band with the agreement that my private and personal life remains how I have it set up."

Fury sat back in his chair and looked at Tony. "If I didn't know any better, Stark, I'd say you are trying to hide something."

"We're done here." Tony said and stood up. Pepper stood up as well. Bruce and Steve watched the looks between Tony and Fury.

"I say when we are done." Fury challenged and stared at him. Tony smirked.

"You are not the center of my universe."

Maria then stood up.

"Wait, wait, wait," she says in a calm voice. "Let's all just take a deep breath and work this out. How about we do this, Mr. Stark only has to inform SHIELD of where he is if he is fifty miles away from his residence. That includes Stark Tower. We will not follow you or take security codes, we will just know what country or state you are in, agreed?"

Maria looked at Fury, who didn't look like he was going to give in.

Tony looked at Pepper and it was as if they talked telepathically. Pepper finally nodded.

"We'll agree to that." Tony said. Fury scratched his head and looked at Tony and Pepper. Finally, he sat up straight and said,

"Fine. I will agree to that."

Tony and Pepper retook their seats as Maria passed out one last paper.

"Finally," she said. "So we can end this meeting all we need is a list of known family members."

"They're all dead." Steve said with sadness and pushed the paper away.

"I don't care about mine." Natasha said coolly and pushed her paper away.

"Only child and parents are dead." Bruce said and pushed his away.

Clint just wrote down the name of his sister than he never speaks to and pushed his paper away. Pepper watched Tony write her name down along with her parents and siblings. Then he pushed his away. Pepper saw at quick glance that he had also put down Happy and Rhodey.

"One more thing," Fury said and watched them all stand up. "When we call, it is not a request. It is a command. There is no denying a mission no matter what the situation is."

Pepper looked at Tony and he knew what she was thinking. As the other avengers filed out of the room, Pepper and Tony remained. They knew they had to say something.

"We need to talk Fury."

Pepper retook her seat, as did Tony. Tony then looked at Maria.

"I'll just go… do something." Maria said and walked out and closed the door behind her. Fury looked at Tony and Pepper.

"I guess, giving your last statement, we need to discuss a personal matter," Tony said. "And if it is repeated outside this room then there will be hell to pay."

Fury raised his eyebrows. Now he was very interested.

"I'm listening." He said.

Tony took Pepper's hand underneath the table again and squeezed it before he spoke,

"Pepper is pregnant."

Fury's eyes went big. Whatever he was expecting to hear it wasn't that.

"I see." Is all he said.

"And so your whole command not request sentence I refuse to agree to," Tony answered. "I will still go on missions, but when she reaches her seventh month I am stopping Iron Man until our child is born. That is not a request, but a statement."

Fury leant forward in his chair and looked at Tony.

"Alright."

Tony didn't know if he heard that correctly. He frowned.

"Alright?"

Fury chuckled and stood up. "All you had to do was ask Stark. I can be a reasonable guy."

Tony just stared at him with disbelief. Pepper had a similar expression on her face. They were not expecting this from Fury.

"But… what was all that before then about "command and request" and everything you said to the others?" Pepper asked.

Fury sat on the edge of the table next to Tony's seat and looked down at them.

"Believe it or not Stark," he began. "You're different from them and I'm not saying that to make your ego any bigger. Agents Romanoff and Barton work full time for SHIELD, Thor is in a different universe, Rogers is still adjusting to the twenty first century, and Banner is still trying to run from reality."

"And your point is?"

"My point is," Fury said and paused to look at Pepper and then Tony. "You're the most normal avenger in this group. It's like you told me back after the Expo deal, you've got a new ticker and you're trying to do right by Miss. Potts with your stable-ish relationship."

Pepper raised her eyebrows at Tony and he shrugged.

"You're the one who said stable-ish relationship. I just quoted you." Tony said in his defense. Pepper just rolled her eyes. Fury reached behind him and grabbed the list of family members and blank papers.

"These papers prove it," Fury said and laid them down for Tony and Pepper to look at. "I'm not going to pull you away from the birth of your child. That's inhuman. There will be times after I will need you and expect you'll come willingly, but there are situations in your case I'll give to you."

Tony still couldn't believe the words coming from the man in front of him. He just nodded and watched Fury get off the table and collect the papers.

"Thank you." Pepper said and Tony just nodded again. Fury nodded back.

"Anybody else know?" he asked. Tony shook his head.

"Only Capsicle and Banner."

Fury nodded. "Then I'll keep this to myself until you both are ready to tell the world."

And with that, Fury stalked off and left behind a speechless Tony and Pepper. Pepper slapped Tony's arm. He turned with wide eyes.

"What was that for?" he snapped.

"See what happens when you cooperate with people!"

* * *

Finally the final day arrived and Tony would be able to go home with Pepper today. He was in one final meeting with the avengers while Pepper packed up everything in their room. Fury stood at the head of the table and looked down at them all sitting at the table.

"So, based on what I have seen this past week I have come to a conclusion," Fury said. Tony thought he was being a bit dramatic. "You can't work together as a committee. That is pretty clear, however when it comes to fighting for another cause you seem to do alright."

Clint raised his eyebrows, "Didn't the New York Battle prove that?"

Fury shook his head, "Not completely, but now I am confident that when the world needs you, you will deliver," he answered and began to walk around the table. "Trying to act like normal people, you all are at each other's heads, but as the avengers… well I have no worries."

Steve nodded, as did Bruce and Natasha.

"When is our next meeting?" Clint asked.

"When the new headquarters are ready in Dallas. I've got all the designs and they are currently preparing for construction. I hope that Thor will be able to join us next time as well."

They all stood up and one by one shook Fury's hand. As they filed out of the room, Tony caught up with Bruce.

"Are you coming back with me and Pepper to the tower?" he asks as they head back toward the guest rooms.

"Only to get my belongings," he answered. Tony frowned and Bruce gave a small smile. "I've enjoyed our research in your labs, but I have to get back out there in the world. I'm going around Europe for a bit. Ireland, England, France, and Belgium."

Tony was disappointed he was leaving, but understood his reasons. It was nice having someone around who spoke his language (that he could tolerate) besides Jarvis.

"Have fun and if the green guy comes out I want a copy of the video!"

Bruce only shook his head and chuckled a bit. Tony made his hulk problems more humorous than they were.

* * *

Tony returned to his room to find everything packed and Pepper waiting patiently on the bed.

"All set?"

Tony hopped onto the bed and kissed her lovingly. His hand stroked her cheek and she smiled.

"Let's get the hell out of here."

Pepper smiled and gently pushed him off of her so she could stand up.

"My parents will be arriving tomorrow morning." Pepper said as she threw on her jacket. Tony shook his head.

"I can't believe they are driving all the way here."

Pepper shrugged. "My father doesn't like flying. Oh, this visit when we announce everything chances are he will question you. We have to make sure the events are in the proper order."

Tony nodded. Last thing he needed were his future in laws thinking he is marrying Pepper because she is pregnant.

* * *

"Oh my home I have missed you!" Tony said as he and Pepper stepped off the elevator at the top floor of Stark Tower. Pepper rolled her eyes as he hugged the wall.

"Welcome home sir." Jarvis said.

Tony threw their bags off to the side and took Pepper's hands. He had that smirk on his face. He led her over to the couch where he sat down and had her fall on top of him.

"Tony, you should get some sleep." Pepper said before Tony silenced her with a kiss.

"Nope." He said quickly. Pepper pulled away and looked at the clock.

"It is almost ten thirty."

That clearly didn't matter to Tony as he began kissing down her neck. It was quite hard to resist him when he did this.

"You're parents are staying here for three days. It would be ten days of me not being able to…"

"Yeah yeah yeah." Pepper said and brushed a hand through his hair. She had to admit part of her wanted to even though it was late.

"Excuse me sir…" Jarvis said interrupting their moment. Tony groaned.

"Mute Jarvis"

"Tony that could have been important." Pepper said in a serious tone. He shook his head.

"The only thing important to me right now is sitting on top of me. Everything else can wait."

Pepper blushed as he began to remove her shirt. She aided him by lifting her arms up. The shirt was quickly thrown across the room landing in an unknown location, not that they cared though. Tony's shirt landed next to hers moments later. He sat up more so she was straddling him and his hands went into her hair to remove the ponytail. He flicked it across the room and she smiled before kissing him hard again. Her hands slipped down to the zipper of his jeans while his did the same to hers.

* * *

"Do you think we should have called again to make sure they know we arrived early?"

Rebecca and William Potts were currently riding up the elevator to the top level. They were at level thirty and still had twenty five more stories to climb. William shook his head.

"I'm sure that Jarvis person that answered will pass along the message."

(A/N WARNING THE RATING WILL BE PUSHING IT THROUGH THE NEXT PART. IF YOU'RE NOT A FAN OF... INTIMATE SITUATIONS THEN SCROLL DOWN PAST THE NEXT SECTION.)

* * *

Jarvis did try to tell Tony, but Tony muted him so there was nothing Jarvis could do.

Pepper and Tony, now in their birthday suits, were now on the plush carpet next to the couch and small fireplace. Pepper was clutching onto Tony shoulders and panting heavily. Tony found her mouth and kissed her hard again, massaging her tongue with his own. Tony then positioned himself and cradled her head in his hand and wrapped an arm underneath her to lift her off the carpet a bit for a better angle. Pepper let out a loud moan as he entered her.

* * *

"I'm sure it will be fine, Becky," William argued with Rebecca as they reached the top floor. "What's the worst thing that could happen?"

The elevator doors opened and they were going to step out when Rebecca and William's eyes went wide and their ears were filled with noise they never wanted to hear.

* * *

Pepper let out a moan at the feeling as her head arched back to stare at the ceiling. Tony took it as a welcoming to her neck and increased his pace as he made his mark on her neck.

"Tony... I can't…. I… Oh... faster!"

It was then when they both heard gasps from people who were not each other. Pepper's eyes snapped open and she found Tony's before the looked up. Pepper nearly screamed as Tony reached for a blanket at the end of the couch and wrapped it around them to cover them up as much as possible. He then wrapped his arms around Pepper and brought her as close as possible to conceal her. Well, this was not how he planned this visit to begin.

William was standing next to Rebecca, who had a hand at her chest and her eyes were wide. William's were wide as well and Tony hinted there was anger in him as well. Tony felt Pepper begin to shake underneath him and he knew she was incredibly embarrassed and tears were rolling out of her eyes. Though it probably wasn't the best thing to do, Tony kissed her forehead and smoothed out her hair to try and calm her down.

"Shhh... it's okay," he whispered to her before glaring up at her parents. "You said you weren't coming until tomorrow." Tony growled at them.

"We didn't think it would be as short of a ride as it ended up being..." Rebecca said in a hoarse voice with her eyes still wide at the sight in front of her.

"So why didn't you call?" Pepper yelled, nearly screamed.

"We did! We left a message!" William said and crossed his arms.

"Jarvis!" Tony yelled.

"I tried to tell you, sir. However you muted me."

Tony groaned.

"The guest rooms are the level below us. Make yourself at home and we will see you in the morning." Tony said with a very serious tone. Rebecca and William collected their belongings and quickly got back onto the elevator. Once the doors closed, Tony got up and lifted Pepper off the ground and brought her over to their master bedroom. It took a while to calm down, but eventually she fell asleep in Tony's arms. Tony sighed. It was going to be quite a day tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

Pepper and Tony woke up to their new usual morning route, however they both knew it wouldn't be a normal morning after what happened last night. It was seven o'clock and Tony was holding Pepper's hair back as she threw up into the toilet. Around seven thirty, she stopped and then they showered together. Then at eight thirty they got dressed together. Pepper at first was surprised that Tony was functional at this hour. He usually slept until nine and when he would go to the office he'd go in around noon. Lately, he would go in at ten thirty because of Stark Industries new car line. All the cars are Tony's designs and only three of the styles run on gas. The other two are battery charged. Of course they will cost quite a sum of money, but he knew it would sell to people with a high pay raise.

Pepper threw on black yoga pants and a baggy blue shirt. Neither was going to work today so she kept her slippers on. Tony threw on a pair of jeans and a black shirt and his sneakers. Even though Pepper said he could dress down, he felt he needed to have every inch of skin, minus his face, covered up after the encounter last night. He knew Pepper was going to feel very uncomfortable around her parents for a little while and debated about whether or not they should announce their news tonight.

They left the master bedroom and found that her parents had not come up to this level yet. Pepper sat down on the couch and snuggled into the blanket she brought from the bedroom.

Meanwhile, Tony went into the kitchen and prepared their breakfast. Although he never usually ate breakfast, this time he made extra toast so he could share with Pepper. He poured two cups of tea (since the smell of coffee made her feel like she would hurl) and brought it over to Pepper. He found her flipping through the channels before settling on The Cosby Show. Ever since they became an item, Tony discovered she was a bit old fashion at heart. For example, she never liked the idea of a nook when she can just go to the library and find a hardcopy. She also loved to watch old shows like Golden Girls, The Cosby Show, and Friends (even though it isn't that old).

He set the tea down on the coffee table and handed her the toast. They ate and drank in silence as they watched the show. The silence would be broken every now and then when Pepper would chuckle at the show's humour. Once they finished breakfast, Tony put the mugs back in the kitchen and returned to Pepper's side. He put his feet up on the coffee table and stretched out to get comfortable. He was a little surprised when Pepper curled into his side and rested her head on his shoulder.

"They're probably awake," She muttered. Tony looked down and saw her eyes were still focusing on the commercial in front of her. He could tell by her eyes that she wasn't really paying attention. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "They're always up by seven. My dad reads the paper twice while my mom cooks breakfast and by nine they are dressed and occupied with something."

"They'll come up soon I bet." Tony replied. He felt Pepper tighten her grip on him a little.

"Unless they're waiting for us to call down and say it is okay to come up," Pepper said. Her head fell back onto his shoulder and she closed her eyes. "It's going to be impossible to tell them anything now."

Tony shook his head, "No it won't be impossible. We just have to wait for the right moment,". They stayed quiet for a bit and continued to watch the show. Then at the end of the show Tony felt it was time to break the ice. "Jarvis, please nonchalantly tell Pepper's parents that it is okay to come up here when they are ready."

"Yes sir."

About ten minutes later, Tony heard the elevator ding and he knew they were here. He was still on the couch with Pepper snuggled into his side. She barely got any sleep last night and her eyes were slowly drifting off until she heard the elevator. Tony looked up and saw her parents step out, but Pepper kept her focus on anything but her parents. It may be childish, but she was still horribly embarrassed. Rebecca and William slowly walked towards the living area where Tony and Pepper were. They finally came into Pepper's view as they awkwardly sat down on the love seat to the left of the couch. They sat there for a few minutes, not knowing what to say until Rebecca spoke up,

"We'd like to umm… apologize… for not making sure you were aware of our arrival."

Tony just gave a small nod and Pepper gave no response. Tony briefly looked at William, who was sitting up straight and his hands folded in his lap. Tony didn't think he had a right to be angry though. He and Pepper were both adults… who are engaged… who are going to have a child together… but then again William doesn't know any of that.

"Your brother is coming around six tonight." William said in a stern voice. Pepper picked her head up and off of Tony's shoulder and nodded. She then stood up and went over to the kitchen. Tony was about to get up and follow her when Rebecca beat him to it.

Pepper knew her mother was behind her, but she didn't turn to look at her. Instead, she looked through the fridge to find something to eat.

"Virginia, you can't ignore us forever. We apologized, what more do you want?" Rebecca asked and crossed her arms. Pepper took a deep breath to prevent lashing out. Her hormones were a wreck this morning. She turned to look at her mother.

"For it to never of happened!" she snapped and turned to the cabinets. "And I know exactly what you and dad are thinking even if you don't express your thoughts."

Rebecca sighed; she hoped it wouldn't come to this.

"I'm not going to deny anything," Rebecca began and kept a calm voice. "We had hoped you would be like your sister and wait until after marriage, but once you began dating Tony…."

Pepper put her finger up.

"Oh no, no, no… you have no right finishing that sentence!" Pepper said with her voice elevating. "As much as you want to think you do, you have no control over this part of my life and the fact that I am having this argument with you makes the whole situation worse! I'm an adult and I can make my own decisions. Period."

And with that, Pepper slammed the cabinet door and power walked right to the master bedroom and slammed the door shut. Tony stared at the door. He had only heard the last part of the argument. Tony stood up and walked over to the master bedroom, but before he opened it, he turned around to look at William and Rebecca.

"Um… make yourselves at home… I guess… or leave. Your choice."

He then entered the master bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Tony found Pepper had gone out onto the patio that connected to their master bedroom. He slid the door open and approached her from behind. They had an incredible view of the city and it was high enough up that the press wouldn't be able to get clear photos. He wrapped his arms around her waist and spread his hands over her abdomen. Pepper covered her hands over his and leant back into him.

"It didn't sound like it went well…" Tony said softly. Pepper shook her head.

"Quite the opposite. My parents are old fashioned and prefer a certain order to events in life. Now, it is truly impossible to tell them I'm pregnant."

Tony knew her eyes were watering without looking at her. He kissed her cheek and just held her. He knew this was the best comfort for her.

"You and I," he began. "Are both happy with our creation. That's what matters."

Pepper went all gushy inside when his soft side came out. It was the side only she was allowed to see. She turned around and kissed him.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I know," Tony said with a cheeky grin. She just rolled her eyes and kissed him again. "Would it help if we just told Jake first?"

Pepper processed that idea through her head. She knew Jake wouldn't be thrilled with the story of their parents catching her and Tony… being intimate, but he would be much more understanding. Pepper nodded.

"He'll defend me, he always has even if he thinks I'm wrong. Then again, it is what big brothers are supposed to do."

Tony gave a small smile. The wind picked up a bit and Pepper's hair began to blow in the wind. It makes her look stunning.

"We'll have him hang around then after dinner."

Pepper nodded.

"We also have the doctor coming over tomorrow for our appointment. You have all the necessary equipment, right?"

"Of course!" Tony said dramatically and put a hand to his chest. "I am Tony Stark."

Pepper laughed. He always reminded her of that. They are going to have a doctor come to their house rather than them go to a doctor's office in full view of the public. Tony pressed his hand against her abdomen and softly kissed her. Damn, she hated part of her life right now, but loved another part.

* * *

The rest of the day went by awkwardly, Pepper didn't speak to her parents, nor did Tony, and Rebecca and William ended up going back to their rooms until Jake arrived. When he did, they acted as if everything was okay and went through dinner somewhat smoothly. Then came time to talk to Jake.

Her parents had gone to bed and the three of them were sitting in the living area. Jake was on a chair while Tony was on the loveseat with Pepper next to him.

"So, I sense a serious conversation coming up. Am I right?" Jake asked. Pepper nodded and felt all her nerves reacting at once. "I knew dinner went too smoothly. What happened before I got here?"

Tony and Pepper looked at each other. Tony knew he would have to take their reins here.

"Well… we weren't expecting them to show up last night because they said they would be here in the morning and well… Pepper and I were in the living room when they arrived…"

Pepper rolled her eyes. She knew it wouldn't be too awkward discussing this with Jake because of their close relationship so she just came out and say it,

"Mum and dad caught me and Tony having sex last night."

Jake's eyes went wide and he nearly coughed up his drink he was sipping. Tony's eyes went wide at Pepper's bluntness as well. Jake smiled a bit and laughed,

"Wow and to think I felt humiliated when dad caught me groping with my girlfriend in junior year. Man… I mean Tony I'll kill you for touching my baby sister, but man…" Jake said. Tony chuckled a bit, but felt a little more relaxed that Jake didn't react the way William and Rebecca did.

"It sort of ruined a couple of things we were going to announce…" Tony said. Jake's eyes returned to being wide. Pepper pulled out her necklace from under her blouse to reveal the ring Tony bought her. Jake stared at it and eventually his face broke into a grin.

"Congratulations!" Jake said and stood to hug Pepper and then shook Tony's hand. "Hurt her and I'll kill you. Iron Man or not."

Tony smiled a bit as he shook his hand. They remained standing and eventually moved into the kitchen to get a drink as Pepper explained how he proposed.

"But that isn't everything…" Pepper said. Jake raised his eyebrows as he sat down on the stool at the bar. "After and let me say clearly the AFTER part, I made a discovery."

Tony wrapped his arms around Pepper and purposely placed his hands on her abdomen. Pepper laced her fingers with his as she placed her hands on top. Jake this time spit out his drink when he made the connections.

"You're pregnant?" he said almost yelling. Pepper bit her lip and nodded. Jake just stared at them for a moment and then smiled.

"Wow. That's great!" Jake said. Tony nodded and kissed Pepper's cheek. "Oh, yeah I can see why you're worried."

Both Tony and Pepper nodded.

"You know how they feel about… a certain order to things in a relationship," Pepper said and moved to sit next to Jake. "Tony and I have already decided that the wedding will be after the baby is born. I refuse to be a pregnant bride."

Jake nodded.

"Yeah, I remember when Todd and Lizzy announced their engagement. Dad and I… mostly dad, lectured Todd. I know most of the questions Tony will fail now after yesterday's events and you'll answer one right."

Pepper sadly nodded. As happy as she was about being pregnant, she didn't want her parents to hate their child.

"So, we were wondering… since now we can't tell them anything. If you'll tell them?" Tony asked. Jake thought about it and eventually nodded.

"Sure and I'll be sure to tell the story exactly how you said it. When do you want me to talk to them?"

Pepper shrugged and Jake looked at Tony.

"The sooner we break the tension in the air, the better."

Jake nodded and stood up.

"I'll go talk to them before they go to bed. Will you be free if they want to talk? Last thing you need is another…. Ya know."

Pepper nodded. "Yes, we'll probably be outside or watching a movie."

Jake headed to the elevator and went down to the floor below. Pepper sighed and moved towards Tony.

"It'll be alright," he said. "Now, I am very much in the mood for a movie and cuddle on the couch."

Pepper giggled. It still sounded weird to her when he said the word "cuddle". Tony Stark has never been known to "cuddle".

"Let me just change into pajamas and I'll get the Devil Wears Prada." She answers and moves towards their bedroom.

"What?" Tony said with wide eyes. He was NOT watching that movie. Pepper laughed. "No no no, I was thinking something…. Not that."

Pepper strolled over to Tony and began to play with the collar of his shirt and then gave him the puppy look.

"Please?"

Tony sighed. He hated it when she did that, yet he also loved it.

"Fine."

Pepper smiled and kissed him softly before going to their room and changing. Tony set up the movie while Pepper changed. He hoped this evening would be more relaxing, but all he could do was hope.

* * *

Jake exited the elevator and saw his dad in the guest living area watching the news while his mother sat beside him knitting. They both looked up and smiled when they saw Jake, but Jake didn't return the favor. He walked over and grabbed the remote and turned off the news.

"Hey!" William snapped and went to grab for the remote, but Jake held it back.

"What is wrong with you?" Jake said angrily. William and Rebecca looked confused. Jake sighed. "Did you seriously think that was the best way to handle what happened last night?"

"Oh that." William growled and sat up. Jake crossed his arms and stood in front of his parents. Rebecca just stared at her knitting.

"Yes that, dad! What were you thinking? You should know Virginia well enough to know how humiliated she felt! It's one thing to be walked in on, but by your own parents and then the next day scowled for what they did? She is a grown woman and knows what she is doing!" Jake said. Rebecca glared up at Jake. Jake rolled his eyes. "Pour choice of words at the end, but in all seriousness that was not your place to comment on. The only thing that should matter to you is that she is happy. Yeah I'm not thrilled with the thought of my sister… in those ways… but as long as she is happy and being treated right that is what should matter."

Rebecca returned her gaze to her knitting and William looked away. Jake sighed and sat down on the coffee table.

"I'm not mad at her," Rebecca said. "I just thought she would be like Lizzy…"

"She isn't Lizzy, mum," Jake interrupted. "So before I go to bed why don't you think about this? Before this…. Whole mess, Virginia and Tony were planning on telling you tonight that they're engaged. He proposed around… a week and a half ago and she said yes,"

Rebecca gasped and William's eyes went wide.

"Ginny… she is… they're getting married?" Rebecca asked with a hint of happiness. Jake nodded. "Oh my gosh!" Rebecca said and stood up with a smile. "That is... oh I'm so happy for her! Oh I know the perfect place that is being renovated right now and will be ready in a couple of months for a wedding…"

"Mom, slow down and sit down," Jake said. Rebecca closed her mouth and sat back down. Jake looked at his father, but his face was still unreadable. "They aren't having the wedding for another year."

Rebecca frowned. "That doesn't seem like Virginia. She has had her dream wedding planned since she was seven."

William nodded. "I still have the album she made," he said with a smile. "It is huge. She has everything planned down to the colour tablecloths."

Jake chuckled and then got serious again.

"Now, I want you to listen to me before you say anything. After… and listen to me when I say this, after Tony proposed, a couple days later Virginia discovered…" Jake said and paused. His parents were just staring at him. He must really love Pepper if he was willing to do this. "Virginia discovered she is two months pregnant."

Rebecca and William's eyes went huge and they said nothing. Jake bit his tongue.

"My…" William began and leant closer to Jake. "My daughter is pregnant?" Jake nodded. Then the unexpected happened, William's face broke into a grin. "I'm going to be a grandfather?"

Jake smiled and nodded. William stood up and he was grinning like a mad man. Rebecca, this time, was unreadable. Jake believed she was in shock.

"And Virginia is petrified after what happened last night. She's afraid you'll be disappointed that she isn't Lizzy and won't love their baby like you should."

Rebecca now had tears in her eyes.

"How could… oh I have made such a mess," Rebecca cried. William sat down and placed an arm around Rebecca's shoulders. "Of course I am happy for her and of course I will love their baby!"

Jake gave a small smile. His family had their moments, most of them strange, but still.

"They're still awake and upstairs watching a movie if you want to talk with them, but only nice things! Tony warned me her mood swings have gotten worse now that she is pregnant."

Rebecca raced to the elevator with William hot on her heels. Jake just sat there on the coffee table and really hoped they were in fact watching a movie.

They were in fact, watching The Devil Wears Prada. Tony was spread out on the couch with Pepper laying on top of him. Her head was tucked under his chin and he held her close with his arms wrapped around her and slowly rubbing circles on her back.

"I tried wearing big sunglasses like Miranda did once, I looked awful." Pepper commented and chuckled. Tony smiled. Before he could reply the elevator doors opened and Pepper's parents came bolting out of it.

"You're pregnant?"

"You're engaged?"

Pepper picked her head up and looked over at her parents to try and read them before replying.

"Yes."

Rebecca rushed over with tears in her eyes and Pepper stood up. Rebecca nearly tackled Pepper, but she was able to remain standing. Rebecca held her tightly.

"I am so so sorry, I was an arse this morning." Rebecca whispered into Pepper's ear.

"It's okay." Pepper replied before pulling away and then being hugged by her father. Tony stood up and was then tackled by Rebecca. Rebecca kissed his kiss and hugged him as tight as she did to Pepper.

"I'm so happy for you sweetheart," William said to Pepper and kissed her forehead. He then moved and shook Tony's hand. "Break her heart and I'll kill you."

Pepper rolled her eyes and Tony nodded. This family had a habit of threatening.

"Are you showing yet?" Rebecca asked. Pepper lifted her tank top to reveal the small bump that has been forming. Rebecca's eyes went wide and she reached out to touch it.

"That baby should be smart," William said. Tony and Pepper raised their eyebrows. "What? My girl has always been smart and you… well you're a genius so I've been told."

Tony chuckled and put an arm around Pepper's waist as she put her tank top back down.

"Does anybody else know?" Rebecca asked and sat down on the love seat with William beside her. Tony and Pepper retook their seats on the couch.

"Two friends of ours, Steve and Bruce, but they found out on their own. Other than that, we are keeping a lid on it for now."

William nodded. They continued chatting for a bit before Rebecca yawned and decided she needed some sleep. Pepper and Tony said good night to them and watched the get on the elevator and disappear. Pepper fell back into Tony's arm and he smiled.

"See, I told you it would be okay." Tony said with a smirk. Pepper slapped his arm and smiled.

"That will never ever happen again." She said and plopped back down onto the couch. Tony shook his head and sat down next to her.

"You know I can't make any promises about that."

Pepper turned and raised her eyebrows at him.

"You better try. From now on whenever we have company or are expecting company the next day we will not be doing anything." She said firmly. Tony gasped dramatically and his eyes went wide.

"Not even the shower?" he whined. Pepper shook her head.

"No so quit whining."

Tony crossed his arms and pouted. Pepper rolled her eyes. Part of her wished they would have a girl. She couldn't imagine handling another male Stark.


	6. Chapter 6

A couple days later…

Jarvis had just informed Tony and Pepper that the in house doctor was on the way up. Tony decided on a female doctor and when he did Pepper rolled her eyes. They were currently waiting in Tony's private medical floor. Pepper was set up and reclined back just as the doctor had asked and the screens were all set up. Tony was holding Pepper's hand when they heard the doctor knock and come in. Pepper smiled.

"Hello Dr. Mace."

The doctor returned the smile and set out her paperwork. She had already met Tony because Tony had her come and sign papers and confidential papers. After three hours, Tony trusted her.

"And how are we feeling today? Any morning sickness?" Mace asked. Pepper shook her head.

"No, thank goodness."

Dr. Mace set up her equipment and plugged some things in before sitting beside Pepper.

"Now, we'll only be able to hear the heartbeat and see a little bit. We won't be able to tell the gender for a couple more months," Mace said. Pepper squeezed Tony's hand as Mace lifted Pepper's shirt to prepare for the jell. "It'll be a bit cold."

Pepper hissed a bit as the jell was placed on her, but then got used to the temperature. The doctor did some things on the computer and she smiled.

"Now, right about here…" she pointed onto the screen for Pepper and Tony to see. "Ah yes, there is your baby."

Pepper had tears in her eyes and Tony's eyes went wide. Mace then switched on the volume and they could now hear the heartbeat. A tear went down Pepper's face as she smiled. Tony kissed her hand and Pepper turned her head to look at him. Mace excused herself to give them a moment. Tony's forehead met Pepper's.

"We made that." Pepper whispered and Tony kissed her lovingly. Pepper put her hand on the back of Tony's neck to bring him closer. When they pulled away Tony smiled,

"So… five years ago if someone were to tell you that in your future you would be engaged to me and carrying my child, would you believe them?"

Pepper softly smiled and looked down at her hands.

"Probably not, but I would hope they were right."

Tony laughed and kissed Pepper again before Mace came over to them.

"Here is a photo of your child and I just need a bit more information and then I will get out of your way," she says. Pepper and Tony nodded and Mace sat back down with a clipboard. "First, I just need to know if you have an estimate date or couple of days the child could have been conceived?"

Pepper blushed and Tony kind of looked away. They were fully aware of the date slash evening their child was conceived.

"March fifteenth." Pepper quietly answered. Mace nodded and scribbled down the information.

"Any medical history that I should know?" Pepper and Tony both shook their heads. "Now, this is not a normal question I asked… but seeing as how the father is not exactly normal I need to know if it is possible your sperm could be mutated due to the umm… thing in your chest?"

Tony shook his head, "No. I did tests on the reactor and on my body. There hasn't been metal in my bloodstream or… sperm for quite some time."

Mace nodded.

"Then I can say with full confidence that your baby is perfectly healthy right now. Here is a pamphlet with some tips on first time pregnancies. I will see you in a month or so."

Pepper took the pamphlet and said goodbye to Dr. Mace. Once she was gone, Tony took the pamphlet and flung it in the trash. Pepper rolled her eyes. He really did hate instructions that weren't his… or written by him.

* * *

That same night, Pepper was curled up with Tony in bed talking after a round of lovemaking. He had his arms wrapped around her protectively as she leant back into him.

"Hey Pep, I was thinking about something…" Tony says as he rubs her arm.

"Oh boy." Pepper says and prepares for what Tony is thinking. Tony chuckled.

"Don't worry, it is nothing bad… I was actually thinking about names," he says and pauses to see if she responds. Though he can't see her face he has a feeling she is smiling. "Middle names to be more specific. I er… I have one in mind."

Pepper put her head back onto Tony's shoulder and looked up at him with her eyebrows raised, "Oh?"

He nodded.

"I mean it'll probably only work for a boy… but I was thinking his middle name could be Coulson."

Pepper felt her heart melt and she smiled at Tony before kissing his neck.

"I think that would be a wonderful middle name." she answers. Tony kissed her forehead and relaxed back against the pillows.

"You never did tell me when he became Phil and not Agent?" Tony said with a hint of teasing in his voice. Pepper rolled her eyes and smiled.

"That night when he came to the tower, I sensed a bit of jealousy in your voice." Pepper answered. She felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled.

"Well it took like five years for you to start calling me Tony and about two for him to become Phil."

Pepper laughed and turned around so they were chest to chest.

"Well you were my boss and I thought it would only be professional if I called you Mr. Stark. With Phil, he wasn't my boss."

Tony gave a cheeky smile.

"I do like it when you call me Mr. Stark," He purred into her ear. She smiled and kissed him. "And soon I'll be able to call you Mrs. Stark."

When she didn't respond he frowned. Pepper bit her lip.

"I have something I need to ask you to see if you're okay with," she says slowly. Tony nods for her to continue. "Now please don't misunderstand me, I will take your last name, but with work I'd like to stay Virginia Potts. Outside of work, I'll be your Pepper Stark."

Tony looked at her for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"Under one condition," he says and puts his hand on her hip. "Only I'm allowed to call you Mrs. Stark all the time."

Pepper was going to stay no, but then she thought about it. Even if she said no he would call her Mrs. Stark so she just nodded in agreement. He then kissed her and pulled her close.

* * *

Four weeks later…

Pepper knows that they will have to do a press release on her pregnancy soon. She is showing only a little bit, but if someone got a good look at her they would see it. Tony was enjoying it a great deal especially wrapping his arm around her and placing his hands on her bump. The last thing she needed was for him to do it in public without realizing it. The public already knew of their relationship, but still had no idea about the engagement and pregnancy. She was currently in her office pondering these things. Tony would be up here any minute with their lunch. With a sigh, she turned and looked out her window and over New York. Something then caught the corner of her eye and she turned to see from the east storm clouds were gathering in only one spot. Then a flash of lightening hit the earth and Pepper could feel the ground shake a little. Her office door then opened and she heard Tony humming.

"Who is the greatest boyfriend of all time?" he sang, but Pepper didn't turn around. Tony dropped the food onto the table and went over to Pepper. Like Pepper was thinking before, Tony wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his hands on her bump. This earned a small smile from Pepper, but it faded.

"Are you expecting company?" she asked. Tony frowned and then looked where her gaze was. Tony groaned.

"I hope that is Thor and nobody else."

Pepper nodded in agreement. "You and me both."

Tony kissed her neck and then looked back at the storm clouds. Tony then could sense something coming and soon he could see it.

"Get down!" He yelled and pulled Pepper into his embrace before pulling her safely to the ground. Pepper screamed as the window shattered and there was a giant thud sound. Tony held Pepper close and made sure (very protectively) that they were chest to chest. He looked up and could barely make out a figure. Once the figure stood up, Tony mumbled, "Damn Shakespeare."

Tony carefully got off of Pepper and helped her up. Pepper's eyes went wide at the mess.

"I apologize for my entrance." A voice said. Pepper turned and she immediately recognized who it was. Thor.

"The front door would have been less of a mess." Tony mumbled and looked all around at the mess on the floor and Pepper's desk.

"I apologize for the mess, I've forgotten how much weaker Earth's materials are," Thor says and steps over to Tony and Pepper. Tony was still holding Pepper against him protectively, but not because he feared Thor.

"I thought your… ice machine was broken?" Tony asked. Thor chuckled.

"It is called the bifrost and it is no longer broken. It has been repaired."

Thor then turned and looked at Pepper. Pepper coughed a little.

"Oh," Tony said and looked at Pepper. "This is my… er…." Pepper rolled her eyes.

"I'm his fiancé, Pepper Potts." Pepper said and stuck her hand out. Thor lightly took it and kissed it.

"A pleasure to meet you. I am Thor as you must know."

Pepper nodded.

"Yes, I've heard of you. You're the only avenger I haven't officially met."

Thor raised his eyebrows.

"So, you know of all of us?"

She nodded. "How do you think Tony even remembers everything?"

Thor laughed and Tony frowned.

"I suppose I must explain my presence on your realm," Thor said. Tony nodded and took Pepper over to the couch in her office where they sat down. Thor carefully sat down in the chair across from it. "Loki has escaped from our grasp."

Tony dropped his head and sighed.

"Nice job hammer time." He said sarcastically, which earned an elbow in the stomach from Pepper. Thor liked Pepper even more.

"We've searched other realms, but haven't found him. I believe he is coming back to Earth." Thor predicted.

"Have you contacted Fury yet?" Tony asked. Thor shook his head. Tony smiled. "Good."

Pepper frowned.

"How is that a good thing?"

"Well," Tony said and swung his arm around Pepper's shoulders. "The avengers made much more progress without him ordering us around," Thor shrugged. Tony had a point. "Besides we don't need all of his technology when we have a tower filled with more advanced technology."

Pepper chuckled.

"He will know I landed on Earth."

Tony shrugged.

"You're going to visit em…. Juliet?" Tony asked.

"Jane Foster." Thor corrected.

"I thought Fury had tabs on you?" Pepper asked. Tony made a "psh" sound.

"He threatens that he does. I can easily escape his radar."

"Have you had contact with any of the rest?"

Tony put on his pondering face and Pepper smiled. She loved that look. "I know the spandex is somewhere in New York, Natalisha is in… Argentina or Portland, Tweetie is in Detroit, and anger management buddy is in Europe."

Pepper rolled her eyes and Thor just looked confused. So she clarified for him,

"Steve is in New York, Natasha is in.., how do you get Portland and Argentina mixed up?" she asked and turned to Tony. He just shrugged. "Anyways, Clint is in Detroit, and Bruce is in Europe."

"We must gather them and search for Loki. He is crafty," Thor said and he sounded sad. Pepper reached out and placed her hand on his arm. "I have unfortunately come to terms with him never returning to the man that was once my brother. After Phil…"

A thought then hit Tony.

"He killed Agent Coulson to make it personal…" he said and looked at Pepper. Thor frowned, but Pepper understood. She placed her hand that was on Thor's arm and placed it on Tony's hand.

"We'll be alright."

Thor understood what Tony meant now, but not Pepper's statement. He observed her figure and then it hit him.

"If you do not mind me asking," Thor says and interrupts their moment. "But are you pregnant?" Pepper nodded. They might as well not lie anymore. "Then I shall make a proposal, should Stark ever have to leave your presence I can request for two of my friends from Asgard to come for her protection. They know all of Loki's tricks."

Pepper shook her head, "Thank you Thor, but it won't be necessary."

"Exactly because I'm not leaving her presence." Tony stated. Pepper sighed. She had six more months of this. At times she found it sweet, but other times his protectiveness drove her crazy.

"If Loki has returned to Earth we will need you." Thor argued.

"Let me ask you this," Tony says and leans forward. "Wouldn't he go after Jane? Knowing you love her? What would you do in that situation?"

Thor did not answer because Tony had a point.

"I would want to protect her," he finally answered. "And I would know the only way I can truly protect her is to defeat Loki rather than wait for him to come to me."

Pepper placed a hand on Tony's back. He sighed.

"If you can get the team here to talk then I'll hear you out, but for now I am staying with her."

Thor nodded and stood up. "That is fair enough. I shall return soon," he said. Pepper and Tony stood up as well. Thor turned to Pepper. "You are lucky to have such a man who cares a great deal for you, but also I question how you deal with his stubbornness and sarcasm."

Pepper smiled. "You get used to him."

* * *

One night later….

Tony was fast asleep with Pepper in his arms and her head buried in his neck. They were both holding onto each other as they slept. One would say they looked cute. Their cuteness wouldn't last for long. Around three in the morning Tony heard a loud crash and their bedroom door swung open. Tony quickly pulled the covers up around Pepper, caring more about her exposure rather than his own. He felt her begin to stir awake. Tony looked at the door and groaned.

"Sir, it appears you have company." Jarvis informed. Tony rolled his eyes. Pepper woke to the sound of Jarvis's voice, but she didn't open her eyes. She was too tired to care who was barging into the bedroom. She knew it must not be a threat if Tony was still in bed with her.

"I have done as you asked." Thor said to Tony. Tony looked behind Thor to see Steve, Clint, Natasha, and Bruce standing there. Great, this was just what he wanted at three o'clock in the morning.


	7. Chapter 7

Tony sat up and kept his hold on Pepper and ordered Jarvis to turn the lights to dim. He wasn't wearing a shirt, which made the team feel a bit awkward. However Tony didn't care. They were the ones disturbing him in the early hours of the morning. He did care though if Pepper was exposed at all so he made sure the blankets were up and around her.

"You misunderstood me." Tony groans and runs a hand over his face. Thor frowns and Steve smirks. He knows there is a show awaiting them. Bruce, Clint, and Natasha just stood in the doorway.

"You told me to assemble the team and so I followed your instructions. Now we talk." Thor says. Tony glares at Thor.

"I didn't mean wake me up in the middle of the night." Tony snapped. He heard Pepper sigh, which meant she was awake now.

"Just go Tony," Pepper mumbles and turns away from him. "And turn the damn lights off on your way out."

Tony sighed, but didn't stand up. Thor stood there as if he was waiting for Tony to move. "Unless you want to see the full me I suggest you leave. I have no problem walking around my bedroom with or without clothing. Guests or no guests."

Thor's eyes went wide and he understood and backed out of the room with the rest of the team. Once out, Tony dropped back down onto the bed and groaned. After a moment, he got up and put his jeans on and threw on a black shirt. He turned the lights back off and headed out to the living area where everybody was waiting.

* * *

When he reached the living area, he shuffled over to the bar area to find something to drink and completely ignored his guests. He searched around the bar, but couldn't find the tea he wanted. He had thrown coffee out of the tower since it made Pepper sick. He would have alcohol, but even he knew it was too early for that. He groaned when he couldn't find the tea. The team watched him in amusement as he looked around. For a moment, Tony forgot the others in the room.

"Jarvis, where the hell is the tea?" he snaps and slams another cabinet.

"Are you looking for the Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls green tea, Moroccan Mint green tea, or CocoCaramel Sea Salt herbal tea, sir?" Jarvis replies. Tony frowns. He didn't know what kind it was that he liked. He drank whatever Pepper drinks.

"Whatever kind Pepper drinks." Tony answers. Steve chuckles a bit and Natasha smiles.

"She drinks all three of those, sir."

"Oh fine! The pearl phoenix one!" Tony snaps. If Jarvis could smirk, Tony would expect him to be smirking right now.

"We are currently out of that brand, sir."

Tony groans and slams his glass on the table.

"Then why the hell did you give it to me as an option? Forget it."

Tony throws his glass back in the cabinet and walks over to the group. He glares down at Clint, who is sitting in his chair. Clint rolls his eyes and moves over to the couch and sits next to Bruce.

"Have you confirmed Loki is on Earth?" Natasha asks Thor. Thor nods his head.

"I believe…" Thor begins in his loud voice when Tony cuts in.

"Keep it down, you'll wake the rest of the world."

"Anyways," Thor says in a much quieter voice. "We have no physically confirmed his presence, however he is not on any other realm and I have a feeling he is plotting revenge for Earth."

"We hack into all cameras and run his face like we did last time." Steve immediately says. They all look at Tony, who is lounging in the chair with his eyes closed. He can feel them watching him so he speaks up.

"Jarvis!" he says.

"Beginning task now, sir." Jarvis replies.

"I must also go in search of Jane Foster," Thor says. "I do not want her being harmed in Loki's revenge."

Bruce frowned.

"Wait… who is Jane?"

"Hammer time's lover." Tony dryly replies. Bruce raises his eyebrows.

"Mr. Stark made a point to me yesterday," Thor says and ignores Tony's remark. "Last time Loki made it personal when he killed Coulson. He makes things personal and I do not want him harming Jane."

Bruce looked away and onto the ground. Tony, who was still eyes closed in the chair, had a feeling he knew what Bruce was thinking about.

"Go get Betty." He says. The team frowns and looks at Bruce.

"Who is Betty?" Clint asks.

"Bruce's long lost love." Tony answers for Bruce. Bruce sighs.

"She is… well we had a thing per say but I left because I felt she was never safe." Bruce sadly answers.

"Then perhaps you should find her and make sure she is safe," Thor says and stands up. "Loki will know everything about all of us."

"And so we aren't doing this at Avenger's Headquarters why?" Natasha asks.

"Fury always has a hidden agenda and I'm not putting up with his crap." Tony answers.

"We would most likely be safest there." Clint argues. Tony shakes his head.

"Yes because we were so safe on their sky high craft." He answers sarcastically. Steve rolls his eyes.

"He just doesn't want to spend time with us." Steve sarcastically says back. Tony opens his eyes and sits up.

"No offense Capsicle, but personally I'd rather spend my time with my pregnant fiancé rather than being stuck on some aircraft cut off from civilization."

Natasha and Clint's eyes go wide.

"Pepper is pregnant?" Natasha gasps. Tony nods. "That explains a lot."

Clint then realizes something when he thinks back he turns to Tony and says, "That's why you wanted more room at the headquarters. In case…"

Tony stood up and began talking to Jarvis.

"Jarvis I'll take the herbal tea."

"Top shelf sir." Jarvis replies.

"Why are Natasha and I the only ones shocked by this?" Clint questions the team.

"They told me." Bruce and Thor answer. Clint turns to Steve.

"I overheard a conversation between them about it."

They then hear a door open and slam shut. Tony looks up from the bar and sees a very tired Pepper walking over towards him. Pepper completely ignores the team and just goes over to the bar.

"Why are you up?" Tony asks softly. Pepper steals Tony's tea.

"I can't fall back asleep," She answers and takes a huge sip of his tea. She makes a face and sips out the tea in the sink. "That stuff is crap."

Tony chuckles.

"You were in love with it last week."

Pepper grabs her own glass and pulls out a tea box. Tony frowns. It was the Jasmine tea he wanted.

"Hey! Jarvis told me we were out." Tony says and Pepper smirks.

"I told him to lie if you ask for it since you drink all of it."

Tony frowned and watched Pepper make her tea.

"Hello Tony? Remember us?" Steve says loudly from the living area. Tony rolls his eyes and looks over at Steve.

"Yes dear?"

"We need to come up with a plan of action." Clint says before Steve can say anything.

"Yes because all of my plans are well thought out at this hour," Tony mumbles. Pepper puts a hand on his lower back and he looks at her. She gives him that look and he sighs. "Fine. This is our plan of action," Tony says and takes Pepper's tea and dumps it down the drain. Her eyes go wide. "Thor and Bruce go make sure Jane and Betty are safe, Clint go with Bruce and Natasha go with Thor. Capsicle can chill here and then I go back to bed and sleep another four hours before doing anything else."

Everybody looked at each other and nodded. Tony sighed with relief and then took Pepper's hand and led her back to their room without even saying goodnight to the others.

"Stay under the radar." Steve says to them. They nod.

"Fury will never know. I've gotten rid of my trail." Natasha says.

Meanwhile, back in Tony and Pepper's room Tony has his arms around Pepper and he is smirking while she is shaking her head.

"Not happening." She says. Tony pouts.

"Come on, I'll put you right to sleep." Tony says and kisses her neck. Pepper laughs and shakes her head.

"We have company."

"And when has that ever stopped me?" he asks and looks into her eyes. Pepper sighs.

"Only if you're quiet."

Tony smirks and tips them over onto their bed.

* * *

Steve sits in the living room, not knowing what to do with himself. He sighs and goes over to the window to gaze upon the city he saved many decades ago. He was rather startled by a loud yell.

"Damn it!"

Steve frowned and wondered if Jarvis would work for him.

"Jarvis... what was that?" Steve asks.

"I'd rather not describe it, Mr. Rogers." Jarvis answers. Steve pauses and then realizes what he means. He shakes his head and laughs to himself.

"It will always be a mystery why she puts up with him."

* * *

**Sorry this is so short, but I wanted to get something up since I haven't had time to write it. I've been in HR (MI-5 aka Spooks) mode, but I knew I had to continue Pepper and Tony:) I'll get another chapter up soon!**


	8. Chapter 8

Pepper fell back asleep instantly after a round with Tony and she looked as if she were in a peaceful sleep unlike Tony. It had been about an two and a half hours after they fell asleep when Tony began thrashing around the bed and hit Pepper on the leg on accident. Pepper immediately woke up, but Tony was still having a nightmare. Pepper ordered Jarvis to turn the lights to dim and she looked down at Tony. He was all sweaty and breathing shallow.

"Tony, Tony wake up!" Pepper said and when he wouldn't wake, Pepper lightly slapped him on the face and he woke. Tony immediately sat up breathing fast and looked distraught. Pepper climbed up onto Tony and straddled him while taking his face in her hands. "Look at me, shh…" Pepper whispered and put her forehead on Tony's. Tony's arms went around her and his eyes closed again. Pepper ran a hand down his back to sooth him and helps him relax.

"Water…" Tony said with a hoarse voice, barely a voice. Pepper jumped out of bed and grabbed her robe before racing out to get him a glass of water. She just finished tying the knot when she reached the living area where the team was along with two new women. Pepper didn't even realize it was almost seven and she paid no attention to the eyes watching her race to the kitchen area to get a glass of water. She grabbed a glass and filled it up quickly.

"Miss. Potts, it appears Mr. Stark's blood pressure is rising again." Jarvis informed. Pepper turned the sink off and headed back to the bedroom with the glass and completely ignored Clint as she ran by.

"What is going on?" Clint asked. Pepper ignored him and raced back to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Everybody had confused looks on their faces.

"That was odd." Steve states. Bruce nods in agreement. The woman next to him speaks up,

"Who was that?" Betty asks.

"Pepper Potts," Natasha answers. "Tony Stark's girlfriend."

"Should we go see if the maiden needs any assistance?" Thor asks. Bruce shakes his head.

"Whatever is going on I can promise you Pepper is the only one he wants around."

Back in the bedroom, Pepper manages to get Tony relaxed and breathing normally again and he settles his head onto her chest, but doesn't fall back asleep.

"Same thing?" Pepper asks softly while running a hand through his hair. Tony nods. "Better than the last time or worse?"

"Worse…" he says quietly. "Please don't ever leave me Pepper, please." Tony pleads. Pepper fights back the tears and kisses his head lovingly. She hated seeing Tony like this.

"I promise I won't leave you, Tony."

Ever since the Battle of New York, every once or twice a week Tony will have a nightmare either about the battle ending differently or Pepper being taken away from him. After every nightmare, Pepper would comfort him until he fell back asleep. She wouldn't let him go bury the feelings in the workshop.

"Nothing's been the same since New York…" Tony says. Pepper looks down at him and watches him speak as he just stares out into the open. "You experience things… and then they're over. I can't sleep and when I do I have nightmares. Honestly, there are one hundred people who want to kill me. I hope I can protect the one thing I can't live without…"

Tony turns in Pepper's arms and kisses her softly while a hand finds her abdomen. There is a clear bump there now and he strokes it gently. Pepper curls her fingers in his hair and kisses back. This wasn't a kiss to lead anywhere. It was a kiss filled with love and comfort.

"You're stronger than them all, Tony," Pepper whispers once they break apart. "And you have just as strong friends ready to help you fight any battle."

Tony groaned. He had forgotten about the others in the living room. However, Pepper has a point.

"Did they see you?" Tony sighs. Pepper nods and answers,

"Jarvis… he spoke as well. I think it was Barton who asked me what was going on," Tony groans again and moves away from Pepper. He swings his feet over the side of the bed and Pepper wraps her arms around him from behind. "You're not weak, Tony. They don't see you as weak either. If they're smart they won't mention anything."

She kissed his cheek and then got out of bed to change. Tony watches her change and then stands up to change himself. He had a long day ahead of him.

* * *

Luckily, the team is smart and mentions nothing of what happened earlier that morning when Tony and Pepper appear. Thor introduces Jane and Bruce introduces Betty. Breakfast was made and they ate mostly in silence. Afterwards, everybody gathered in the living area, including Betty, Jane, and Pepper.

"We may have a lead that Natasha discovered last night." Clint says and looks at Natasha. Natasha nods.

"Do any of you know of a man named… well he is called the Mandarin… ring any bells?"

Everybody shook his or her heads.

"We believe he is plotting a plan against us with Loki." Thor claims.

"Great, so two lunatics out there?" Bruce mumbles.

"Well… based on Natasha's mole in S.H.I. ," Steve says and they all look at him. "Mandarin is only after Stark."

Tony rolled his eyes and felt Pepper take his hand and squeeze it a bit. "Even better."

"Do we have any idea as to their whereabouts?" Pepper asks. Thor shakes his head.

"Loki is no fool though, he will soon learn of our presence here."

"And so we are staying here for safety because?" Jane asks Thor. He looks over to her. "If Loki isn't afraid to do damage then we aren't safe anywhere."

"Loki isn't our only problem here," Steve cuts in. "We have a whole other person who we do not know in on this. For all we know he could be watching us now."

"Jarvis, shades!" Tony says casually and the shades go down the windows. Steve rolls his eyes.

"So, what do we propose our next course of action be?" Clint asks and crosses his arms. Nobody answered for a good amount of time. Tony sighed and stood up.

"Great brainstorming session, but I have things to do so ciao."

"No Tony-" Bruce said but stopped. Pepper stood up and followed Tony towards the bar area and towards the back area out of earshot of the rest. Tony sat down in a chair and sighed. Pepper hated seeing him like this. She knew everything has been hard on him a lot lately. Pepper slowly approached him and she sat down in his lap. She didn't speak or make eye contact with him. She just wrapped an arm around his shoulder and ran her fingers through his hair.

"You should consider talking to someone." Pepper says softly. Tony looked at her and frowned.

"I talk to you all the time."

Pepper shook her head, "I know you talk to me all the time, what I mean is about you not being able to sleep… and see if you can find a solution or a way to help you sleep better."

Tony shook his head.

"I'll just take a sleeping pill."

Pepper raised her eyebrows and said, "You've tried that. Tony, look at me," she demands. Tony looks up into her eyes. "You are exhausted. I know I comfort you when you wake up in the middle of the night, but I can't tell you how to make it better or why it keeps happening."

"I can't trust anybody but you," Tony sighs and looks away. "Hundreds of people want to get after me or want to kill me. Aside from you, I never know who to trust."

Pepper can see she is not getting anywhere with this, so she just leans forward and kisses his temple. Tony wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her closer.

"I just hate seeing you like this."

Tony's hand slowly found its way to her abdomen and he kept his hand there. A small smile creeps onto his face and Pepper's hand covers his.

* * *

Back in the living area, everyone was puzzled as to Tony's behavior.

"Maybe all of this is getting to him," Bruce suggests. Steve shrugs. "He doesn't come from this life. He never wished to be a part of any of this."

"What do you mean?" Clint asks. Bruce settles onto the couch where Tony had been sitting before.

"Natasha, your whole life you've had your skill set. Clint, same with you, and you both chose to become SHIELD agents. Steve, enlisting in the army to fight in World War II was your main passion and you did everything to get you there. Thor, you were born a king and chose to take the throne after your father. My point is, you all chose this style of life."

"But Tony chose to be Iron Man after he was kidnapped." Clint points out.

"But he didn't chose to be a part of SHIELD. Yes he is Iron Man when the world needs him, but it is not his only priority." Bruce says back.

"I see what Bruce is saying," Natasha sighs and they all look at her. "Ever since he told the world he is Iron Man Fury has been a constant push on him. Tony's always been his own boss and fights for what he believes is right."

"And he and Pepper are expecting. Besides you, Thor, out of all of us Tony really is the only one who has a life outside of what we do. He doesn't have to hide."

Steve sighed because Bruce had a point.

"Why are you so damn wise?" Steve said with another sigh at the end. Betty smiled.

"He's always been like that."

"How far along is Pepper?" Steve asks. Bruce does the math in his head and thinks about it.

"Three months close to four."

"So then we can count on him demanding to be with Pepper rather than help us." Steve mumbles.

"Steve!" Natasha snaps.

"Sorry, force of habit." Steve says with a genuine apology.

"I'm sure Stark will work through this and help us when we need him." Clint reassures. Thor nods.

"I do feel like Jane has a point though, this building while it may be safe is the biggest target in New York. They will get to us no problem." Thor states.

Clint and Natasha nod in agreement.

"And where do you propose we all go?" Betty asks. Thor begins to pace around while the others try and think of a hiding spot. "And will this Fury guy be able to find us?"

Clint rolled his eyes. For a moment they had forgotten about Fury as well. "If we don't all travel together and be obvious about it then no. I have no doubt in my mind he has agents stationed around this building."

Natasha nods in agreement. "Great thing about this life." She says sarcastically. Clint chuckles a little bit.

"In your realm, where is it least populated?" Thor asks. Everybody pauses to think and surprisingly Jane and Steve reply with the same thought.

"Montana."

Bruce smiles. "Well, out of the states I'd say that is less populated than the rest, but there must be other places with very few people."

"I was thinking about Pepper actually," Jane says. The men looked puzzled so Jane clarifies. "If you want Mr. Stark to help you he'll want Pepper with him so he can also protect her, which means he isn't taking her into the Artic Circle while she is pregnant."

Betty nods in agreement. "That's true. There are several factors you need to consider about this move when it comes to pregnancy."

Clint and Steve groaned and that made Natasha smile. Clearly they weren't up to date on pregnancy things.

"Such as?" Thor asks with a serious face unlike Clint and Steve.

"Well," Betty begins and purses her lips to think about how to phrase things. "We can't be completely cut off from society because if something suddenly goes wrong and she needs medical attention you won't find much help within a fifty mile radius in some places."

"Plus hormones!" Jane says. Betty nods her head fast.

"Oh yes, she's around the time where hormones kick in so there will be certain foods she wants, certain drinks, certain everything."

"Pregnant women are not the Queens of England!" Clint says. Betty shrugged.

"We're just saying."

"Alright," Bruce says and begins looking around. Everybody looks at him with strange looks. "We need a map of some sort."

* * *

**"Nothing's been the same since New York… You experience things… and then they're over. I can't sleep and when I do I have nightmares. Honestly, there are one hundred people who want to kill me. I hope I can protect the one thing I can't live without…" This is from the Iron Man 3 trailer! While it looks amazing if they dare split up Pepper and Tony I'm never watching another Marvel film. I'm tired of tragedies! No more I say!**


	9. Chapter 9

Tony eventually came back and the team started to have an actual discussion about their next course of action. Pepper sat at the bar with a cup of tea and her laptop listening in, but also working. Betty and Jane came up behind her.

"Hi, I'm Betty and you must be the famous Pepper Potts."

Pepper smiled and shook Betty's hand.

"Indeed I am."

"And I'm Jane." Jane added and shook Pepper's hand. The girls pulled up stools and sat on each side of Pepper. They made small chat and observed the team as they worked. Tony then threw a piece of paper at Steve and Steve threw one back. Pepper rolled her eyes and Jane chuckled.

"It's amazing if you think about it," she says. Pepper and Betty look at her. "Out of all the women in the world, we three are with three of the greatest heroes of all time."

"Steve doesn't have anybody?" Betty asks. Pepper shakes her head.

"His love is about seventy years old now. If not older." She says with sadness.

"How did you meet Thor?" Betty asks Jane. Jane smiles as she thinks back.

"Well, my friend hit him with her car…" and she goes on to tell the story about her and Thor. Pepper laughs as Jane describes the agent telling Thor he needs to be debriefed because she knows it must have been Phil. Betty then went on to describe her long history with Bruce. At some points Pepper and Jane would smile and at other times they felt such sadness for Betty and Bruce.

"Okay Pepper, how did you meet Tony? You know our stories, you're up next."

Pepper smiled as she thought back through her history.

"Well, it started nearly a decade and a half ago…"

_She had no idea why she was doing this, but if the boss makes a request to meet you then you show up. She looked in the mirror and straightened her skirt and made sure her hair was in a perfect bun with a few loose curls. She steps out of the ladies room and heads towards the elevator. It was the longest ride of her life. She reached the top floor and was amazed at the layout. She had never been up here. Only the executive staff and exclusive staff could come up here. Immediately she noticed it were mostly female workers. She looked around and found the secretary desk. The woman gave her the up and down glare and then called into the office. Once she was allowed to enter, she went towards the door. When she opened it she first noticed the size of the office and the elegance of it. It was then when her gaze landed on the desk did she see him._

_Tony Stark._

_He was dressed in a black jacket, red shirt with the top two buttons undone, no tie, and his hair just a bit scruffy. He looked up at her and brown met blue. _

"_And you are?" Tony asks and leans back in his chair. She takes a deep breath and moves towards the desk and stands in front of it._

"_My name is Virginia Potts, sir. You said you wanted to see me this morning."_

_Tony frowned and then looked around his desk for something._

"_Damn assistant," he mumbles. Virginia raises her eyebrows. "She was fired last night,"_

_Virginia nods and takes a seat in the chair across from Tony's. "It's not like she didn't know my rules."_

"_Rules, sir?" Virginia questions. Tony looks over at her._

"_Yeah, never interrupt me for a work call while I'm having sex," Virginia blushed and looked away. Tony wanted to smirk, but for some reason didn't. There was something about this woman he liked and it wasn't just her body. "But I do remember why I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to say… nice work on the accounting error you found."_

_Virginia smiled a bit._

"_Thank you, sir."_

_Tony reclined his seat again and looked at her. He didn't say anything. He just looked at her. Virginia didn't know what to do. _

"_What's your name again?" he asks._

"_Virginia Potts, sir."_

_Tony made a hmm sound and she made a slight puzzled face._

"_Nah, I like the name Pepper for you," he finally says. Virginia didn't know what to make of this. "Virginia is too hard to remember… you seem more like a Pepper Potts, has a nice ring to it."_

"_And why would you need to remember my name, sir?" Virginia asks. Tony stands up and walks over to her and stands in front of you._

"_I'm promoting you from your current job to becoming my personal assistant. Yep, sounds good to me."_

_Virginia's eyes went wide. "What…. I… excuse me?"_

_Tony fiddles with something in his hands as he speaks, "I need someone of your sharp skills keeping me on track. You've got it all. You can start this afternoon."_

_Virginia stands up and crosses her arms._

"_And if I refuse your offer, sir?" she asks with a frown. Tony smirks and moves closer to her. He takes her hand and places a card in it._

"_This is the accuse card to my front door and gates. I need the run down of tomorrow's agenda by seven."_

_Virginia looks down at the card and then back at Tony. She has no idea what possesses her the next sentence out of her mouth,_

"_Will that be all Mr. Stark?"_

_Tony smiles, "That will be all Miss. Potts."_

_Pepper gives a small smile and walks out of his office with the key in her hand. She has no idea what she has signed up for and knows parts won't be a joy ride, but she is ready for the challenge of Tony Stark._

Betty and Jane were grinning as Pepper told her story.

"So what was it like first stepping into his house?" Jane asks. Pepper thinks back and chuckles.

"Everything I expected and a bit I didn't expect."

_Pepper walks up to the door and slides her key card. She walks in when the doors opened and is immediately startled by the sound of a voice._

"_Good evening Miss. Potts, Mr. Stark is expecting you."_

_Pepper looked around but couldn't figure out where the voice came from. She cautiously moved down the halls and looked around. She managed to find the kitchen, a living room, a staircase leading upstairs and downstairs, and a back patio with a pool. However, she couldn't find Tony. She looked around the living area and noticed a bra hanging on the couch along with a pair of heels. Pepper became very uncomfortable and had a moment of not wanting to find Tony._

"_Umm… does he have company?" she asks out loud to see if the voice would answer._

"_Yes Mr. Stark is entertaining a female guest at the moment and asks that you wait for him in the living room."_

_Pepper really didn't want to wait in a room where female clothing was spread out everywhere. She sighed and collected it with a frown and asked out loud again._

"_Where is the washing machine?"_

"_Mr. Stark does not own a washing machine."_

_Pepper frowned. How the hell can he live without something to wash his clothing?_

"_Does he have a car that can have this… clothing sent out and cleaned?"_

"_I can arrange for one Miss. Potts."_

"_Thank you."_

_And so Pepper had the clothing sent out and it was assured to be back in two hours. She sat down on the couch and waited. She sat there for an hour and a half before Tony appeared. He looked as if he recently showered. He was dressed in a AC/DC shirt and jeans._

"_If I have any meetings in the morning, cancel them." Tony says without saying hello. Only been a couple of hours and she is already aggravated. _

"_You cannot cancel the meetings Mr. Stark. You have a board meeting that you need to be present at whether you like it or not." Pepper says firmly and looks down at her paper. Tony frowns and walks over to her. He doesn't believe what he is hearing. He feels a bit angry, but she doesn't look at him._

"_I said cancel the meetings." He says back. Pepper looks up and glares at him._

"_No. You have a packed schedule tomorrow and after work you're buying a washer and dryer." She says. Tony crosses his arms and glares back._

"_And you're the boss now?" he says while gritting his teeth. Pepper stands up. "And why do I need those things?"_

"_You want me to keep you sharp and in line then you do as you're told. You're reputation at the company is awful. As for the machines, if you're going to… have female guests over you wash her clothing before she leaves."_

_Tony looks around and is confused when he doesn't she the blonde's clothing around._

"_Where…?"_

"_I had it sent out to be pressed and cleaned. It should be back in ten minutes."_

_Tony looks at her._

"_You did that?"_

_Pepper nods. "With the help of some voice."_

"_Jarvis."_

"_Jarvis?"_

"_He is the AI I created to run my house."_

"_Oh."_

"_Be here by seven tomorrow morning."_

"_Will that be all Mr. Stark?"_

"_That will be all Miss. Potts."_

Betty's eyes went wide as she listened to Pepper.

"Wow… I mean I read magazines about him but…" she says and trails. Jane nods. Pepper shrugs. Somehow she survived there and now she was going to marry him and give birth to his child.

"Did he ever get a washer and dryer?" Jane asks. Pepper nods.

"Yes, the first year I added all the necessary survival things needed in his house. Washer and dryer were just the beginning."

Betty gave a small laugh because she couldn't imagine what else could be wrong.

"For example?"

Pepper takes in a breath and ponders for a moment.

"Well, I learned within the first month his eating habits were horrible. He fridge consisted of alcohol, pepperoni, something green which I have still yet to identify, jelly, pickles, and more crap. The cabinets were just as worse."

"So what did you do?" Betty asks. Pepper smiles.

"I filled the kitchen with more reasonable foods, some I eat, and much more healthier foods."

Jane and Betty were a little stunned at how Pepper took control of Tony.

"Did you ever think you would be here with him as you are today?" Jane asks. Pepper laughs and shakes her head.

"Before he was kidnapped, no way. After… after it was hope and wishful thinking."

They sat in silence for a bit and Pepper closed her laptop. They watched their men think up a strategy to take down their enemies. Tony looked much better than he did earlier and he looked focused for once. The type of focus he puts into a new suit was the focus he had right now. She has faith he will get to the bottom of this whole mess. Tony looks over and notices her watching him. She smiles and he gives a small smile before returning his focus to the team.

* * *

"Okay, Natasha, Clint, and Steve are going to the guest rooms above," Tony says as they eat pasta for their dinner. They were all gathered around the bar eating and drinking. "And Thor, Jane, Bruce, and Betty can take the ones on the lower level."

They all agree as they eat their pasta. The ladies were nice enough to prepare dinner for the team. Tomorrow, Clint and Steve were going to check out a possible area in New York Loki may be while Bruce and Tony worked in the lab. Thor and Natasha would be working on facials around the world and active terrorist groups to see if they are a scam to hide the real threats. Normally, Clint and Natasha would work together, but this time since Thor doesn't blend in as well in New York they thought better if Clint went.

As dinner was clearing up, Pepper pulled Tony aside.

"I need new clothing, Tony." She says quietly. Tony didn't want to announce anything yet until Loki was caught for Pepper and the baby's protection and going into a maternity store would give it away.

"Can't you wear some of my shirts?" he asks. Pepper nodded.

"Yes, but I need pants Tony."

Tony sighed. If he had it his way she could walk around without pants on, but seeing as how there were guests he didn't feel she'd be up for that.

"What about your leggings?"

Pepper sighed. They would probably work for a little bit, but not long.

"Alright, but soon Tony."

Tony nodded. When he found out she was pregnant he vowed to make sure she always had what she needed no matter how much or how far. He pulled her close and kissed her forehead.

"I'll figure out something soon," he says and kisses her lips softly. "Maybe Jake could get some things?"

Pepper chuckled and looked up at Tony.

"Can you really picture him in a maternity store?"

Tony thought about it for a moment and then smiled. Pepper slapped his arm playfully. The others soon retired to their rooms for the night as did Pepper and Tony. Tony, of course, had other ideas on his mind. Once they were finished, Pepper fell asleep on Tony's chest and he soon followed her into sleep. For once, he would not have a nightmare.


	10. Chapter 10

Pepper and Betty were currently sitting in the lab talking and watching their men hard at work while Jane was helping out the men with some of the equipment she is familiar with. Betty sighed as she watched the men and Jane.

"How did we out of all the women in the world get chosen by two of the greatest superheroes of all time?" Betty asked out loud. Pepper smile.

"I ask myself that everyday, only I didn't just win the superhero, I won the billionaire playboy, too."

Betty smiled, "Oh that is quite true. Tony was already famous before Ironman came along."

Pepper snorted, "Well famous isn't the word I would use."

Betty gave a small laugh and looked back at the men. She looked at Tony, who looked very focused. "Do you think you would have ended up with that Tony if he hadn't been kidnapped?"

Pepper sighed, "In all honesty, I don't think so. He was so different back then and although part of me liked him I would never have enforced those feelings. I'm not saying I am happy he was kidnapped, but I'm happy at the person he has become."

"I can understand that," Betty said. "Bruce is still afraid of hurting me. I can tell… he is distant even though we are with other people. I won't give up on convincing him though."

Pepper smiled at her new friend's determination. Pepper felt the baby move a bit and she smiled even more. Betty took a guess that it was the baby.

"It feels weird, having another life inside of me." Pepper tells her. Betty nods.

"I don't doubt that. It's worth it in the end though. Was it easy telling Tony?"

Pepper shook her head, "Oh no. We had just gotten engaged and I found out I was pregnant. I didn't know how to react myself…."

_Pepper stood in her bathroom the Malibu house while gripping the sink and looking down onto the counter. Lying in front of her was a positive pregnancy test. For a moment, she felt no emotion come on. She didn't know how to react. She always wanted children when she was younger with a house in the country and a big backyard. Now, that whole dream had changed, but she didn't mind. However, she never thought about having children with Tony or if he ever thought about it. She moved from the bathroom and to the bedroom and sat down on the bed. It's not like she and Tony were as careful as they should have been._

_"How do I tell him, Jarvis?" Pepper asks softly._

_"I'm sorry Miss. Potts, but I cannot help. It might be in your best interest to know he is coming up from the garage."_

_Pepper's eyes went wide. She raced to the bathroom and threw out the pregnancy test so Tony wouldn't see it. She wasn't ready to tell him. Not even close. She still had to get a grip on it herself. As she left the bathroom, she saw Tony enter the bedroom. He was all greasy and dirty._

_"Hey, I think I finally fixed the problem with the model car for the presentation to the public. I'm going to change, shower, and then take it for a test run. You want to join me?" he asks as he shuffles through his huge closet looking for clothing. Pepper bit her lip._

_"The shower or the car ride?" she playfully answers, but was still nervous. Tony came out with a grin on his face. He also had a blue shirt and a new pair of jeans._

_"Both would be nice."_

_Tony smiled and kissed her softly before moving towards the bathroom. Pepper went to another closet and grabbed some towels while Tony prepared the bathroom. Her legs were a bit shaky and she knew why. She felt like she was lying by not telling Tony she was pregnant and when she lies her legs get shaky._

_"Hey, why don't we just make it a bath?" Tony says and Pepper can hear the smirk in his voice. She rolls her eyes and smiles a bit. She walks into the bathroom and finds him preparing their rather large bathtub._

_"Whatever you want." She says and puts the towels down. Tony frowns and looks at her. Pepper doesn't see him staring at her as she undoes her shirt._

_"What's wrong?" he asks. Pepper stops at the third button and looks at Tony and pretends to be confused._

_"What are you talking about?" she asks._

_"You aren't yelling at me for delaying time with the car and the bath so we are late to whatever banquet we have to go to for tonight?" he says. Pepper raises her eyebrows. With the whole pregnancy thing she had completely forgotten about that._

_"Oh, well I just forgot." She casually says, but Tony doesn't buy it._

_"You never forget anything!" he says and crosses his arms as he walks over to her. "Come on Pep, what's wrong? You're legs are shaking what aren't you telling me?"_

_"Nothing is wrong Tony!" Pepper snaps and glares at him. She then stalks off and slams the bathroom door behind. Tony watched her leave with wide eyes. She hadn't snapped at him like that since a magazine came out of him grabbing her lower area while leaving an event._

_"Jarvis do you know anything about this?" He asks._

_"I'm sorry sir, but it is not my place to tell." Jarvis answers. Tony rolls his eyes and mutters something under his breath._

_"Where is she now, Jarvis?"_

_"Miss. Potts is currently sitting out by the pool. She does not seem happy."_

_Tony left the bathroom and headed out to the pool area and found Pepper right where Jarvis said she was. She was sitting next to the edge looking into the water. She heard Tony come outside, but didn't look at him. He sat down next to her, but didn't touch her. He just waited. He's learned over the years that he shouldn't push her and she'll talk when she is ready._

_"Before I was born," Pepper finally says. Tony looks over at her, but she still looks away. "My room was painted yellow because my parents didn't want to know if I was going to be a girl or a boy. They were also repainting Jake's room at the time and his was going to be a shade of blue," Pepper says and then gives a small smile as she thinks back. "Jake wanted to help my mum paint my room and so when she wasn't looking he began painting my room blue. He was only two but they ended up painting my room blue."_

_Tony smiled at the story, but didn't know why Pepper was telling him this._

_"Mine was always red," Tony answers trying to get more out of Pepper. "When I was nine I wanted to paint it black but my mother said no way in hell."_

_Pepper smiled a bit and took Tony's hand. Tony moved a bit closer and let her hold his hand._

_"If you had the choice what would you paint a baby's room colour?" she asks. Tony, not understanding what she is saying, goes on and answers,_

_"If it were to be a girl then a reddish pink and if it were a boy red."_

_Pepper gave a faint smile, "Not the usual pink or blue?"_

_Tony smiled and squeezed her hand, "Oh please, have I ever done anything the usual way?"_

_Pepper didn't laugh though. She knew she had to tell him and now was as good as any time._

_"So if you had to paint a room in our house for a baby it would be red?"_

_Tony was about to respond to that when he finally understood where this was going. His eyes went a bit wide and he felt his heart race increase. Pepper finally turned and looked him in the eyes. His jaw kind of dropped a bit, but not all the way._

_"You're… you're…" he stuttered._

_"Yes," Pepper said quietly and nervously. Tony was in shock. He was going to be a father, a father to his and Pepper's child. He hadn't said anything now for three minutes and Pepper was getting more nervous. "Tony… Tony please say something."_

_Tony looked her in the eyes and saw she was scared. He moved closer and lightly kissed her. Pepper squeezed his hand and he squeezed back._

_"Maybe not a dark red…" he says when they part. "But I wouldn't want my child's room to be ordinary."_

"And then he just went off on everything he wants to do when the baby is born, like taking him or her to Disney for their first birthday, building things in the garage together, and a bunch of other things." Pepper finished. Betty smiled.

"You would allow him to bring a newborn into the garage?" she asks. Pepper laughs.

"Oh no, however I feel like he will try to anyways."

Betty and Pepper laughed together, which caught the men's attention. Tony raised his eyebrows and Bruce just shook his head.

"Any ideas?" Tony asks. Bruce shrugs and Jane responds.

"They're probably talking about you." She says while focusing on the computer. Tony frowned and looked back over at the ladies. Tony, being Tony, became curious and made his way over to the ladies. Pepper just sweetly smiled at him.

"And what are we discussing?" Tony asks and steals Pepper's water.

"How you think you're going to bring our child down to your garage and hide out like you do sometimes." Pepper answers. Tony raises his eyebrows.

"I thought we agreed I was?"

Pepper laughed a bit.

"No, you thought we agreed on that."

"But you never responded when I said it."

"I believe I laughed and shook my head."

"Exactly so you agreed."

"When have I ever laughed and shook my head in agreement?"

"Oh I remember plenty of times."

"Tony…"

"Let's see there was last week… umm then a couple days ago…"

"Tony…"

"Oh! When we were on the plane coming home from the racetrack…"

"Hey! Let's keep this PG!" Jane says and notices Pepper blushing.

"I'm just proving a point!"

"No you are trying to convince Pepper she was stupid enough to agree to you building your child a mini iron man suit." Bruce answers. Pepper's eyes go wide and she looks at Tony. Tony groans.

"I'm sorry… a what?" Pepper asks. When nobody answers Pepper crosses her arms. Bruce realizing what he just said he turns and looks at Tony, who looks like he wants to kill him.

"It was just going to be a Halloween costume…" Tony says innocently.

"You are not building our baby an iron man suit!" Pepper snaps. Tony sees this going from playful banter to he-is-in-trouble banter.

"It wouldn't be a real one made out of titanium and an actual arc reactor!"

"No, but I can see it escalating as our child grows older to one actually made out of titanium!"

"Hey! I found something!" Jane says and interrupts Tony and Pepper's mini argument. Tony walks back over and Bruce walks over to Jane's station. "There were some unexpected weather patterns two nights before Thor arrived. They were in Dallas, Texas."

"That's where…" Tony began when the doors to the lab opened.

"Is where they are building the new avengers headquarters." Steve finishes. Behind him are Natasha, Clint, and Thor.

"Any luck?" Bruce asks.

"Mandarin's face was identified in Malibu right near…" Clint begins.

"My house?" Tony asks. Clint nods.

"But that isn't all…" Natasha says and throws Tony a computer chip. "This was at the place Steve and I scoped out."

Tony looks it over and then puts it into his computer. It was a video file. He opened it up on the screen and had Jarvis project it. The face that popped up was one they were all too familiar with, Loki.

"I'm guessing that is Loki." Betty whispers to Pepper, who nods in response.

"Hello my dear friends! It has been a while since we were in company." Loki begins.

"Jarvis, run a diagnostic on this and see if you can pin point a location based on background." Tony orders.

"Yes sir."

"I'm sure you're all aware of my presence on earth and the new friend I've made! It seems that it is very easy to find a person who hates Tony Stark just as much as I do," Loki says with that evil smirk on his face. "However, I have others I must deal with as well. How is Mr. Barton doing these days? I miss his company and I miss the lovely conversations I have with Miss. Romanoff. Do you still have red in your ledger? Or how is our man stuck in the twentieth century? I can't forget about the monster as well. I've did some reading into the famous Avenger team."

"Oh boy…" Clint mutters.

"I've learned just what I need to take down the team, of course I'm not naïve enough to say all of what I have learned although the Mandarin and I are quite interested in Mr. Stark's newfound love… Virginia is it?"

The team glanced over at Tony, who had gone stiff, and his jaw clenched. They watched Loki reach for something behind the camera and he pulled out a magazine. It was a picture of Tony and Pepper dancing at Lizzy's wedding.

"Awe how sweet to see that Tony Stark has a heart. To think I thought my so-called brother only had a soft spot for a woman but then I see our famous green monster has a soft spot as well. Betty I believe her name is? Quite the videos I've seen on youtube. And I know Mr. Barton has a soft spot for the spider."

Everybody looked at Clint, who didn't look at anybody else, and then they looked at Natasha, who was biting her lip.

"Can't only imagine the other research he has done." Steve says. Tony picks up his glass and goes for a drink when the last words of Loki make him do otherwise.

"I'm afraid I must go now and speak with my sidekick, but I was having much fun with this video. I was talking with the Mandarin the other day and you know every villain has a sidekick or partner in crime, but of course we need an apprentice… perhaps the baby Miss. Virginia is carrying will be the perfect one," Loki says and laughs. Tony throws his glass at the wall, which startles some in the room, but Loki continues to speak, "Now that is one prize I will be most looking forward to at the end of this battle."

The video then clicks off and the room is silent. Tony is gripping the side of a counter and just looking down at the ground.

Pepper slowly moves from her chair and goes over to Tony. The others in the room see this, as a moment they need alone and quickly file out of the room until it were only Tony and Pepper. Pepper approaches Tony and lightly presses into him.

"How could he have found out?" Tony says in a low voice. Pepper doesn't know how to answer that, so she just shifts the question.

"Don't focus on the how, Tony. Focus on how to stop him."

Tony's arm wraps around Pepper and he brings her as close as he can.

"_He made it personal…"_

"_That's not the point."_

"_That is the point! That's Loki's point… he hit us all right where we live, why?"_

"_To tear us apart…"_

"_Yeah… divide conquers… great, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us… he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."_

Tony looked up and Pepper looked up at him curiously trying to figure out what he was thinking. She knew that look. It was the look of him putting two and two together.

"What are you thinking about?" she asks.

"It's a squeal…" Tony says, but not really to Pepper. More to himself.

"A squeal? You mean like part two of his takeover?" Pepper asks. Tony's head isn't really into what she is saying though.

"_Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity."_

"_Uh actually I'm planning to threaten you."_

"_You should have left your armour on for that."_

"_Yeah, seen a bit of mileage and you've got the glowstick of destiny. Would you like a drink?"_

"_Stalling me won't change anything."_

"_No no threatening. No drink you sure? I'm having one."_

"_The chitauri are coming. Nothing will change that. What have I to fear?"_

"_The Avengers… it's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. Earth's mightiest heroes type thing."_

"_Yes. I've met them."_

"_Yeah, takes us awhile to get any traction I'll give you that one, but let's do a headcount here, your brother, the demi-god, a super soldier living legend who kind of lives up to the legend, a man with breathtaking anger management issues, couple of master assassins, and you, big fella', you've managed to piss off every single one of them."_

"_That was the plan."_

"_Not a great plan. When they come and they will, they'll come for you."_

"_I have an army."_

"_We have a hulk."_

"_Oh I thought he beast had wandered off?"_

"_Yeah you're missing the point there's no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe its too much for us, but it's all on you cause if we can't protect the earth you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."_

Tony grabbed Pepper's hand and pulled her out of the lab and to where the others were. They had gone up to the main living area and were all waiting. They all stood when they saw Tony.

"He's stalling us." Tony says as he reaches them. Everybody looked at him a bit confused.

"How?" Steve asks.

"He's stalling by making it personal." Tony answers and wonders if Steve will get it. And he does. Tony can tell by the eyebrows lifting on his face. Everybody around them are confused.

"That's not the point." Steve says. Tony gives a small smile.

"That is the point. That's Loki's point… to hit us all right where we live. Why?"

"To tear us apart…" Steve answers and Tony nods.

"Exactly! Divide… and conquer. He knows he has to take us out to win…" Tony says and Steve picks up the sentence.

"And so he makes it personal… he threatens us with our personal lives… he threatens to take your child making you stick with Pepper…"

"He threatens Bruce with Betty because she is his soft spot…" Tony adds.

"And he knows how Thor feels towards Jane… divide our priorities. Focusing on protecting…"

"Rather than defeating!" Tony finishes.

"And so while we are busy protecting he is busy creating an army and making allies, who probably already have standing armies ready…" Steve goes on.

"But he wants the throne… he gets the ally's armies, but then he plans on defeating us."

"And when he defeats us…"

"He defeats his ally with the army."

"And wins the throne."

Everybody was just staring at Tony and Steve as they thought this through and solved it by finishing each other's thoughts. However, they followed what the men were saying and it makes sense and it sounds like something Loki would do.

"Now he has already made his mark in New York, but he still wants that audience." Tony says after a moment of silence. This time Bruce is the one to speak up.

"So the next most populated place would make sense?" Bruce asks. Tony crosses his arm and thinks.

"He wants…" he begins and walks over to his bar to get a drink. Steve follows him.

"He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it." Steve says.

"Like every great warrior who has overthrown something," Clint says. Tony and Steve nod. "Like Napoleon…"

"Or Lenin." Natasha adds.

"Right," Tony says and takes a sip of his drink. "But he wants to be looking down at everybody as if they are below him."

"He used Stark Tower last time." Thor points out. Tony nods.

"So somewhere with skyscrapers?" Clint asks. It was then Pepper who spoke up.

"Dallas." She says. Tony meets her eyes and they come to the same realization.

"Besides the headquarters what would be in Dallas?" Thor asks.

"The second Stark Tower," Pepper answers and goes over to the projection table and brings up the file. It looks similar to the one in New York, but with a few modifications. "It is still under construction, but based on the information I receive daily it is nearly complete. The shell is finished, it is mostly the interior that is still under construction."

Jane stands up and goes towards the men. "That is where Loki landed on earth, too."

Pepper blows up a still of the tower and looks more closely at it and the notes attached the file she was sent.

"Tony and I are set to go to the opening of the tower in two weeks." She says. Thor claps his hands once and says,

"That will be his audience then."

Tony nods. "We have over 1,000 people set to come… including the President of the United States."

Natasha walks over to Pepper and the still of the tower. "Tony and the President would be the Mandarin's side of the bargain. The Mandarin is interested in taking down the government, remember?"

"Loki won't make his move until then," Thor concludes. "If he wants his audience he will wait."

"But we don't know about this Mandarin guy," Steve adds. Clint and Bruce nod. "For all we know he could give us the opening act to this big performance."

"Okay so we know Loki's plan now we just figure out the Mandarin's agenda." Natasha states.

"That will be harder though considering we know nothing about him." Clint points out.

"We know he originated from China and that his father was wealthy." Natasha says back.

Tony, not listening to what they are saying, goes up behind Pepper and kisses her cheek. "Nice work." He whispers. Pepper smiles a bit, but doesn't turn around.

"We need to talk later." She says back. Tony frowns, but doesn't argue. He just nods.

"He was last spotted in Malibu. What would he be doing there?" Bruce asks.

"We have a house there." Pepper flat out answers as she is still reading a file on the tower.

"It could just be another stalling. We go there when the real action will be Stark Tower Two." Steve points out. Tony nods.

"So now we plan for then?" Bruce asks and everybody nods. "Do we let the event proceed and trap him or do we stop him."

That was the million-dollar question. If they trap him at the event they risk getting a lot of people hurt or killed, including the president. If they go after him now he may get away and possibly take someone with him. Nobody spoke as they all thought about this. Tony sighed and sat down in a chair next to Pepper.

"I think you're best bet of catching and ending this is to let him think he has the ball in his court." Betty speaks up. Bruce sighs and nods in agreement.

"She's right."

"But then we risk many other lives in the process." Steve says.

"It doesn't have to feel right to be right." Betty replies.

"And sometimes we have no choice," Bruce adds. Steve turns and looks at Bruce. "Either way this will end with an audience and someone will get hurt. We can't stop that from happening. However, we can plan and try to prevent another episode of New York."

The team mutters and nods in agreement.

"And what do we do about Fury?" Clint asks.

"Do what I do." Tony says with a smile. Clint rolls his eyes.

"I'm afraid to ask."

"Don't ask." Pepper immediately says and shoots Tony a warning glare.

"In all seriousness," Steve says and brings the conversation back at hand. "It is a good question."

"We don't tell him." Tony says.

"Well I think he would notice if his whole avengers team went off the charts for the next two weeks and then all of a sudden there is a massive battle in Dallas." Steve answers.

"We have what we need here." Tony argues back. Steve sighs.

"Yes I know that, but are we going to stay locked up in this tower for two weeks?"

"Tony and I aren't." Pepper answers. Tony raises his eyebrows, but before he can respond Steve continues talking,

"And Fury is bound to know Thor is here based on the weather."

A thought then occurred to Jane.

"Thor is it possible for Loki to get another army to earth from space?"

Thor crossed his arms and thought about it for a moment.

"Dark magic would have to be his source of power, but it is limited and it takes a lot. Then of course there is the… the bifrost."

Tony threw his arms in the air. "Great! He can just have his army zapped to earth!"

"Tony." Pepper says and throws a warning glare at him.

"Not without a fight though." Thor says.

"Plus the Mandarin will most likely have an army." Clint says. Natasha then adds,

"And we don't know if that is his only ally."

Tony sighed and grabbed Pepper's hand and began to walk away.

"Where are you going Stark?" Steve yells.

"Based on all this fighting looks like I'll need to be in shape." Is all he says and then he and Pepper disappear from their view. Tony and Pepper head into his bedroom so he can change his clothing.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" Tony asks as he undoes his belt. "And why are we going out?"

Pepper sighs and sits down on the foot of the bed. "Maternity clothing, Tony. I'm not going to wear leggings for two weeks and you're shirts. Plus I need a dress for the event,"

Tony throws his belt into his closet and then takes his shirt off before sitting down next to Pepper. "Tony, Loki already knows so it's not like it will be a shock and addition to his plan."

Tony sighs, but finally nods.

"I know," Pepper runs a hand down his back and rests her head against his shoulder. "I thought we were going to do a press release?"

Pepper sighs. "It's to the point of me not caring how the public finds out. I'll wear my ring to and eventually we'll answer their questions."

Tony nods and wraps his arms around her. He doesn't think it is the best way to handle the situation, but he knows Pepper is tired.

"We'll go tomorrow," he says and kisses her forehead. "But would you be angry if I asked Steve and Clint to tail just to be safe?"

Pepper shook her head. "No, as long as I only have one man in the dressing room with me." she purrs. Tony smiles and kisses her. He may not be able to prevent a battle, but he can definitely prevent any other man besides him in her dressing room.


	11. Chapter 11

"_Shall I try Miss. Potts?"_

"_Might as well."_

"_Call failed."_

"_One way trip Stark…"_

"_You're all I have too you know."_

"_I shouldn't be alive…"_

"_I'm trying to play ball with these ass clowns!"_

"_What do you mean you're not dying did you say you're dying?""_

"_What is and always will be my greatest creation… is you."_

Tony awakens with a startle, but not enough to wake Pepper, who is sound asleep next to him. He sits up and calms his heart rate and breathing. His fists are clutching the sheets and his hands turn white. Eventually, he loosens his grip and lets go. He takes a big sigh and looks over at the clock. He and Pepper were going shopping in seven hours and he knew she would wake in about an three. There was no way he was falling asleep so he carefully lifted her and placed her on top of him. She immediately snuggled into him and Tony pulled the blanket around them. Today the public would know everything. He still felt a bit blinded, not by Loki, but by this Mandarin guy. Tony's gut was telling him Mandarin would give them an opening act, which made Tony even tenser about taking Pepper out. His hands crept up and onto her bump. Today was four months.

"How long have you been awake?" She mumbled. Tony looked down and saw her eyes were still closed. He thought she had still been asleep. He shrugged. "Did you have another nightmare?"

"Yes, although not as bad as previous ones," he answers. Pepper slowly opens her eyes and looks up at him. He knows what she is about to say so he throws the topic away. "Do you remember the first time we... ya know?"

Pepper blushes a bit as she shakes her head. "How could I forget that? You're avoiding the topic." she says but Tony goes on.

"Do you know it took me three weeks to plan that whole thing and not back out?"

Pepper frowned and sat up a bit. "Why did you back out?"

"I was nervous... for a number of reasons. One being that it was you and me and two that I would get all nervous in the middle of it and not impress you."

Pepper smiled a bit at his admitting to this and kissed his cheek. Tony Stark being nervous during sex. That was a new one.

"Well if it helps I was quite... satisfied and I most definitely didn't think that night was leading towards that..." Tony smiles as he thinks back. "To be honest I was happy our first time was not in your master bed, but I was surprised as to where you picked."

_Tony and Pepper had just spent the night out. They went to dinner and then Tony took her to see a scary movie, which was on purpose so she would hide her face in his neck. Of course there were people taking pictures everywhere they were, but Pepper and Tony had learned not to care. At first Pepper was a bit insecure about it all, but she pushed it aside because Tony was worth it in the end. Then of course there are all the women still throwing themselves at Tony and trying to move Pepper out of the way. It was pathetic and sad when she thought about it. However, Tony just wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer so the ladies wouldn't have any space. He was polite to them and said no, but was firm about it as well. Pepper did have worries at first that he would run off, but he hasn't and she loves him all for that._

_They arrive back at the Malibu house and Pepper was a little surprised they were turning in early. They had been dating for nearly five months now and now that Tony was in better health she would have expected him to want to stay out later. Pepper takes a seat on the couch and relaxes back while Tony just stands there and he looks in deep thought._

_"Care to share your thoughts?" she asks. Tony looks over at her and then at the clock. It was nearly seven._

_"I want to go swimming." he flat out says. Pepper raises her eyebrows. She wasn't expecting that._

_"Really? Why?" she questions and stands up to move over towards him. Tony smiled, but didn't voice his thought on that._

_"I'm just in one of those moods, care to join me? Please please please?" he asked and kissed her softly. Pepper smiled and pulled away._

_"I don't have a bathing suit here Tony."_

_"Who said anything about wearing a bathing suit?" Tony whispers in her ear. Pepper blushes a bit at the thought. It would be the first time he sees her, but it wasn't the first time she would see him. He's seen him plenty of times when waking him up in the morning before they became a couple and before she was CEO. He kissed her cheek and then raced off towards his room to change before she gave an answer. She stood there and bit her lip for a moment when Jarvis interrupted her thoughts._

_"Miss. Potts, Mr. Stark would like me to inform you that if you would like to join him there is a red silk robe in the guest room where you sometimes sleep."_

_Pepper took a deep breath. This was it and she was NOT going to chicken out._

_"Thank you Jarvis." she answers and heads towards the guest bedroom on the other side of the house. Her room was closer to the pool. The pool was an infinity pool and was near the cliffs and it overlooked the ocean. She was also glad the house was far away from the main road and had top security so she didn't have to worry about paparazzi. _

_But that wasn't the main thing she was concerned about. She was concerned about the whole thing. He has been with countless women and she doesn't want to disappoint. She walks into her room and sees the robe on her bed. She smiles down and sees this is not his that he is lending. The red robe has her name, and her actual name Virginia Potts, sewed in gold. She picks it up and then puts it back down. She would do this._

_Meanwhile, back in Tony's room some similar thoughts were racing through his head. He was nervous as hell because he didn't want to get nervous. He has never been nervous about this, but this time the experience would be different. This was Pepper. He quickly stripped and put on his robe and headed out towards the pool. _

_"How long will Pepper be?" He asks Jarvis as he walks outside._

_"I would estimate ten minutes, sir."_

_"Perfect." Tony says and begins to set things up._

_Pepper slips on a pair of flats and heads down towards the pool. Her insides were stirring and she was still nervous no matter how much she tried to calm down. However, when she approaches the pool area her nerves go away. Her eyes go wide and she gasps a little. Candles were lit everywhere and the pool's light were on a dim, but a romantic dim. She slowly descends the stairs that lead away from the house and to the pool. She looks around for Tony, but doesn't see him anywhere. She looks towards one of the edges and sees a bottle of win and two glasses sitting there. She reaches the last step and thats when she knows where Tony is. He comes up from behind her and wraps his arms around her and kisses her neck. She tilts her head back, but he moves away and takes her hand. Pepper doesn't say anything and she lets Tony lead them over towards two chairs. He can tell she is nervous and so he makes a suggestion,_

_"Do you want to go in first and I'll follow?"_

_Pepper bites her lip and then nods. Tony turns around and waits to here the water splash before he opens his eyes and turns around. He turns and sees she is still under water so he quickly drops his robe and jumps in after her. He set the water to a warm temperature so she wouldn't freeze in here. When he surfaces he finds her leaning against the edge of the pool. He swims over and just as he reaches her she quickly swims away. His first thought is that she is about to back down, but then she says,_

_"You'll have to catch me first."_

_Tony grins and quickly spins around and swims towards her, but she is fast. She ducks under water and swims towards the other side of the pool with Tony hot on her trail. Tony grabs her from around the waist just before the surface and he can almost feel the electricity between them when they touch like this. Her back against his front. They reach the other edge of the pool where the two glasses and wine bottle have been placed and they just float there for a moment. Tony pushes up against her a little bit and he swears he hears a faint moan. He reaches for the wine and lifts himself out of the pool a bit to pour two glasses. While he lifts himself up, Pepper gets a nice view of his lower back from behind and she blushes. Tony then comes back in with two glasses and hands one to Pepper and puts an arm around her waist, this time bringing their fronts together._

_"To us." he says. Pepper smiles and clinks her glass with his and repeats his sentence before taking a sip. _

_"You had this planned all along and that's why you didn't want to stay out late." Pepper states. Tony smiles and finishes off his wine. Pepper finishes hers and Tony ditches the glasses before returning to her. This time when he went for her she didn't swim away. He brought her close and kissed her passionately. He lifted her up a bit and her hand made its way into his hair while his stayed on her back to support her. This went on for about five minutes before she felt him getting excited. As things progressed further she couldn't help but think to herself how damn happy she was that she had asked Tony all those months ago for him to go to her sister's wedding with her. Deep down, Tony was happy about that, too._

"That was the best night of my life." Tony says and kisses her. Pepper smiles and sits up.

"I wish we were in that house now." she says softly. Tony nods. He wished for just two days this whole Loki problem would go away. He looks at the clock and sees the others shouldn't be up yet.

"You know, it'll be awhile before anybody is looking for us... and we happen to have a very nice bathroom just down the hall."

Pepper smiled and thought back to when the building was first shown to them. The contractor messed up where the bathrooms would be placed and put a smaller one in their bedroom and the master down the hall. Tony, who was most displeased, expressed his anger to the guy and Pepper never saw that contractor in their building again.

"Get me my red robe."

* * *

Pepper was currently reclined against Tony in their rather large bathtub with a couple candles lit around them. Tony was kissing her neck as she told him what stores she wanted to go to. Tony would just nod in agreement as he kissed her neck. He then switched sides after Pepper threatened to hurt him if he left a mark.

"Have you even been listening to me?" Pepper eventually asks. Tony looks at her and nods. She doesn't buy it, but she doesn't feel like arguing with him. She was too relaxed.

"I'm sorry to interrupt sir," Jarvis says and breaks their peace. Tony groans. "But Mr. Barton and Mr. Rogers are looking for you."

Pepper wants to laugh at Jarvis saying "Mr. Rogers" but she holds it together.

"Tell them to f off I'm busy."

* * *

"I'm afraid Mr. Stark is busy and would like me to tell you to f off." Jarvis repeats to Steve and Clint. By the time the message got back, Bruce had joined the men. Steve rolled his eyes. Bruce smiled and took a sip of his coffee.

"Typical Stark."


	12. Chapter 12

Tony and Pepper later on got dressed, Pepper in a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt that barely fit her. Anybody could clearly see she was pregnant. Steve and Clint were waiting in the living area with the others.

"It's nice of you guys to go you know," Betty says. Clint nods and Steve gives a small smile. "Despite how much of an arse he can be at times."

Natasha smiled.

"Well I'm doing it mostly for Pepper." Steve says firmly. Clint raises his eyebrows.

"Someone have a little crush?" Clint teases. Steve shakes his head.

"Don't let Stark catch you saying anything close to that." Natasha warns. Bruce nods.

"You think he is a tool now, if he ever hears you say that fighting to save the world will be the least of your problems."

Steve rolls his eyes, but doesn't respond. Moments later, Pepper and Tony appear and ready to go. Steve and Clint stand up. This is the first time Pepper has seen Clint in somewhat normal human being clothing.

"All set?" Pepper asks as Tony takes hold of her hand. Steve and Clint nod.

"We'll be back soon, but you know the distress call, right?" Tony asks the others. The other avengers nod. "Good."

They head towards the elevators the others watch until they are out of sight. Once out of sight, Jane says,

"I would always read magazines and hear people talk about how much of a bastard Stark is," Natasha and Thor look at her as she continues. "But I think she is proof he has a heart."

* * *

Steve and Clint took a back exit to avoid press and would tail Tony and Pepper nonchalantly and Tony had an earpiece in to communicate with them and Jarvis. The press hit the couple right as they stepped out and the cameras were flashing everywhere. Tony put an arm around Pepper's waist and guided her though and soon there were security officers assisting them. It was then Pepper and Tony heard the question,

"Is Miss. Potts pregnant Mr. Stark?" a reporter yelled, which then made them all stop for a moment and look at the couple as they kept walking. Then all of the pregnancy questions were being yelled behind them. Tony just kept Pepper close as they walked the streets.

"I think they know." Steve says into the earpiece. Tony chuckles a bit as they keep walking. They eventually reach the stores and the security guards order the press to stay outside the store. Pepper lets out a breath of relief when they walk into the store.

"Clothes still important?" Tony teases. Pepper smiles and nods and moves towards Tony's ear.

"Unless you want me to walk around with none on."

Tony grins and they move towards a rack.

"You wouldn't make it out of our room."

Pepper smiles and begins to look through the clothing. They spend about forty-five minutes in this store and she finds three things she likes. They go to three other stores before they head towards the restaurants for food.

"Status?" Tony asks Clint and Steve.

"Clear from my point." Clint answers. Tony nods, but still no response from Steve.

"Rogers?" he says. No answer. "Barton what is going on?"

Tony stops in his tracks and pulls Pepper close. She frowns. The security guards are around them so the press can't reach them.

"What is going on?" Pepper asks worriedly.

"Steve isn't responding."

Pepper frowns and feels Tony's grip tighten on her.

"Jarvis, phone the tower."

"Yes, sir."

Tony waits for someone to pick up and in the distance he sees Clint coming towards them. He has a jacket with a hood and sunglasses on so the press can't tell who he is. The guards let him through to Pepper and Tony.

"I can't find Steve anywhere."

Tony's worries about the Mandarin grow stronger as he looks around. The tower then answers.

"Tony?" Bruce answers.

"Bruce, we've lost Steve. He isn't responding and Clint can't see him,"

No answer. Tony can hear Natasha and Thor coming towards the phone and Bruce puts it on speaker. "I don't like this. We're coming back to the tower."

"Thor and Natasha are heading out now." Bruce answers. Tony can hear in the background that Betty is arguing Bruce should go, too. Yelling in the distance then distracts Tony.

"Hello Tony Stark." A man says. Tony, Pepper, and Clint turn and see a man standing in the road. He looks professional, but also like a threat. Tony makes sure Pepper is as close as possible and Clint immediately has his bow out and pointed at the man. Tony has no idea where Clint had that hidden, but it leaves his mind quickly. The press is snapping photos, although some had fled the area.

"Who the hell are you?" Tony yells. The man just stands there and smiles. When the man speaks, his voice seems to somehow be projected throughout the street and people pause, cars stop, and they all look at him.

"Some people call me a terrorist, but I consider myself a teacher," he says. His voice is so deep and has power behind it. He then turns and looks at Tony and Clint. "Lesson number one, heroes there is no such thing."

The man then quickly throws something towards Tony and Pepper. Pepper screams, but someone jumps out of nowhere and deflects whatever it was. Tony goes to the ground and covers Pepper and Clint fires an arrow at the man. Tony looks up and part of him is relieved to see Captain America in uniform with Clint ready to fight. The man just laughs.

"Mandarin!" Captain America yells and has his shield ready. Tony stands up and keeps Pepper at his side.

"Ladies, children, chiefs, let this moment be remembered!" The Mandarin yells. However, a boom of thunder and Thor landing with a loud bang interrupts his speech. He has his hammer ready and is prepared. The Mandarin just laughs. "The beast lies in waiting then?" he asks and refers to the Hulk.

"Do not start a war you cannot hope to win!" Thor says boldly. "Where is Loki?"

The Mandarin turns and looks at Thor. "I'm afraid I cannot help you with that. I've only come to convey a message to the Avengers, but more importantly the famous Tony Stark."

Tony in the corner of his eye sees Natasha appear and she grabs Pepper so Pepper is between Tony and Natasha.

"And this message is?" Tony sneers. The Mandarin just smiles again.

"The man with it all, money, fame, fiancé, a child along the way, believing his world is perfect well I am here to convey to you…." He says and looks Tony straight in the eyes. "It's all about to change."

A helicopter then came into view and Clint raised his bow. "Shooter!"

The helicopter fired two rounds towards the citizens and towards Tony. The bomb went over his head and landed on the building, but did not explode. As everyone was running and fleeing from the bombs, the Mandarin boarded the helicopter and it took off. Thor came over and Tony kissed Pepper before shoving her towards Thor. He lightly picked her up and flew out of the area while the rest ran. They made it four yards before the bomb went off and blew up the building. Tony hit the ground with Steve and Natasha beside him. Everything came back to Tony…

"_That's how dad did it, that's how America does it, and it's worked out pretty well so far."_

"_Stark, you know that's a one way trip."_

"_My family's dead… I'm going to see them now."_

"_Agent Coulson is down… they called it."_

"_You're all I have too you know."_

"_I'm trying to play ball with these ass clowns!"_

"_My greatest creation is you…"_

"_Tony!"_

"_I shouldn't be alive unless it was for a reason."_

"_You don't deserve to wear this suit."_

"_You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play… to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you."_

"_I think I would just cut the wire."_

"_There was an idea… called the avengers initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people to see if they could become something more."_

"_How will your friends have time for me when they're so busy fighting you?"_

"_Heroes… there is no such thing."_

"_Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea… in heroes."_

"Tony!"

Tony was lying on the ground and not responding to Clint or Natasha. His eyes were open, but his mind was in memories. It was only then he heard the voice he needed to hear.

"Tony!"

Clint and Natasha moved back as Thor landed and Pepper pushed herself away from him and to Tony. She went down next to him and took his face in her hands.

"Look at me Tony," She demanded in a soft voice and bent down so their noses were almost touching. "I'm fine, you're fine, listen to me."

Tony looked in her eyes and Pepper could see him coming out of it. He slowly sat up and looked around and saw the result of the bomb the Mandarin threw. Pepper slowly helped him stand up as he looked around. He saw Thor, Captain America, Clint, and Natasha watching him and then he saw the press. They were yelling at him and wanting to speak to him and the other avengers, but they didn't move. Tony felt Pepper slip her hand into his.

"Tony…" she says softly and he looks down at her. He lightly kisses her forehead and turns back to the team,

"Now the game has begun."

* * *

"Where the hell is Stark?" Nick Fury growls as he steps out of the elevator on the top level of Stark tower with Maria at his side. He sees the entire team plus two girls and minus one Tony Stark.

"With Pepper." Steve answers. Fury looks like he is about to argue back when Bruce steps in.

"He called Pepper's doctor because he wanted to be sure no damage was done to their baby during the fight. She hit the ground pretty hard. They're in his room with the doctor right now, but Jarvis has it sealed."

The anger that Fury was about to release settled down and he unclenched his fist. He sighed.

"Fine, now you five start explaining."

* * *

Tony held Pepper's hand as the doctor looked over Pepper and the baby. Pepper thought she was fine so this was more to settle Tony's nerves. The doctor stood when finished.

"Everything seems fine. Still a steady heartbeat and seems to be moving. Might I suggest staying away from bombs though?"

Pepper smiled.

"I'll do my best."

Tony kissed Pepper's hand and thanked the doctor. The doctor left moments later and Tony nearly pounced on Pepper and kissed her passionately. Pepper let him because she knows he was struggling inside of his head, but is too stubborn to get help. When they broke apart he settled his head on her shoulder and placed a hand on her expanding abdomen.

"You know the others are waiting for you," Pepper says as she runs a hand through his hair. She sees the look in his eyes and sees he isn't totally here. She kisses his forehead. "Have you considered talking to someone, yet?"

"I have you." He immediately answers. Pepper sighs and doesn't take it any further. They sit like that for a couple minutes before they get up and move to the living area. Tony takes her hand as they walk into the room. He doesn't even last two seconds before Fury attacks him,

"What the hell Stark? I give you freedom and this is how you use it? Do you have any idea what sort of mess you have created?" he yells. Tony shrugs.

"Nah, nothing we can't fix."

Fury looks like he is ready to scream, but Bruce steps in.

"It wasn't just Stark, it was all of us."

Nick looks at Bruce, but doesn't say anything. He is about to speak again when Jarvis interrupts.

"Excuse me sir, but Mr. and Mrs. Potts is on the line demanding to speak to you and Miss. Potts."

Natasha turns on a TV and sees national news has the avengers in New York and cameras are mostly focused on Tony with Pepper on the ground next to him.

"I'll take it." Pepper says and removes herself from Tony to find a phone. She goes and answers it near the wet bar. Nick turns back to Stark.

"This is not a game Stark and because of this mess you all have created we are not the party in the lead."

Tony just rolls his eyes and Barton steps in,

"So we are just supposed to trust you now? After what happened the last time?" he sneers. Nick glares at him, but the glare does not work.

"You used us to try and build an arsenal," Natasha says angrily and walks over to stand with Clint. "How could we trust you don't have another hidden agenda?"

"I sure as hell ain't taking that chance again with what I have at risk." Tony snaps and walks over to Pepper, leaving the others to deal with Fury at the moment.

"Daddy I promise you we are all alright." Pepper says with a sigh. Tony kisses her temple and listens in.

"I want picture proof right now." William demanded.

"Do you even know how to get a text?" Pepper asks. No answer. Tony smiles a bit.

"No, but your mum does." He finally answers. Tony takes the phone and moves it in front of him and Pepper. He takes a photo and sends it to his future in-laws. Pepper and Tony wait until William responds, which is about two minutes.

"Good, now Virginia please hand the phone to Stark, I want a word," he growls. Pepper hands Tony the phone with a sigh. Tony doesn't even speak because William begins the conversation, "You better be keeping my little girl safe and out of danger or else I will be more of a problem. I don't give a damn if you're Ironman, if you two are starting a family you put them first. Am I clear?"

Tony takes in a deep breath. "Crystal, sir." He answers. They finish up and hang up. Pepper looks at Tony with raised eyebrows.

"Well?"

Tony sits down on a stool, "Well he said he doesn't give a damn that I'm Ironman and that you come first or else he will come after me."

Pepper gives a small smile and sits on his lap. She is about to speak when Fury yells over to Tony.

"Stark, this is no time for a cozy moment. Get packing New York is no longer safe."

Tony angrily stands up and Pepper stays by the wet bar. He approaches Fury.

"Seeing as how we are in my tower I will do whatever the hell I want to do. You are a guest on my grounds. My priority is keeping my fiancé and child safe, not your schedule."

Fury puts his hands on his side and moves closer to Stark. "My priority is keeping the world safe. The Avengers priority is keeping the world safe. Try keeping that woman safe when the world is crashing around us all."

Tony and Fury just stared at each other and everybody else stared at them. Pepper slowly walked over just as Tony spoke.

"Then count me out of the Avengers. I've been blown up and kidnapped enough for a lifetime. If you're making me choose then get out of my tower before security removes you."

Pepper's eyes widened, Natasha and Thor's jaw dropped, Bruce bit his tongue, and Clint and Steve looked at each other with disbelief. Fury's face relaxed a bit and he looked at the others.

"Our flight leaves tonight. Maria will send you the directions," and he then turns to walk to the elevator with Maria on his heels. The doors open and Fury turns to say one final thing to Tony, "I am not the enemy here Stark."

Maria and Fury then disappear behind the doors and the room is silent. Tony knows they are all looking at him. Nobody speaks as he walks over to the bar for his laptop. It's Steve, who speaks up first,

"So much for the sacrifice play, I guess you do just cut the wire." He says with some anger.

"Steve!" Natasha hisses. Steve shakes his head,

"No! This is not a video game where you can just log in and play when you like! You don't bail when there are complications along the way, you fight it!"

"We are not soldiers!" Tony yells back at Steve.

"I did not come down to earth for this!" Thor yells.

"No you came for Loki and then once you have him you take off!" Tony yells even louder.

"I have a realm to protect!" Thor snaps back. Tony slams a hand on the table.

"And I have a family to protect! I've already lost enough for a lifetime!"

"Enough!" Another voice yells. Tony turns and looks at Pepper who looks upset. "Enough of this. I am not some damsel in distress or immobile because I am pregnant nor do I appreciate being treated like one." Pepper snaps at Tony with a tear coming out of her eye.

"Pepper…" Tony begins but she holds up a finger.

"You are not quitting and you are going to go out and finish this mess instead of puppy guard me. Once this is finished if you want to quit then fine quit I don't give a damn."

And she then storms off and in the distance a door slams.


	13. Chapter 13

Pepper was sitting on their bed with her legs pulled to her chest as close as she could and she was looking through photos she had collected over time. Some were from before she worked with Tony, some during before they were a couple, and most when they were a couple. She was smiling at the one of the two of them at Lizzy's wedding dancing. Tony was doing a weird dance and Pepper was laughing. The next one was of them on the plane with Salt; she never changed their cat's name because Salt stuck with the cat. Happy was taking care of her in San Diego right now. Another photo was taken after the New York battle and it was of her, Tony, and Bruce. She smiled at it and thought back to when she first met Bruce; it wasn't the best time she picked to meet him. She and Tony were groping on the couch and neither of them was clothed. Pepper of course was horrified and angry at Tony for not mentioning Bruce's stay at Stark Tower. Tony on the other hand shrugged it off and was ready to continue once Bruce left.

Pepper knew Tony was under a massive amount of stress right now and it could not be easy for him. However, she knew he couldn't quit the Avengers right now and she could not be the reason why he did. They needed him despite his attitude towards them.

She heard the door creak open and Tony appeared and shut it. Pepper didn't say anything to him as he came over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Everybody has gone to pack." He says. Pepper nods and continues looking through photos. Tony smiles of the one where Pepper has cake all over her face and Tony is laughing at her. Rhodey took that picture on the plane back from New Orleans.

"You should pack as well." Pepper eventually says. Tony shakes his head and frowns,

"No, I'm not leaving you."

Pepper sighs, "Tony they need you."

"You need me more."

"It's a risk you need to take."

Tony looks at her and does not comment. Pepper looks up at him and meets his eyes.

"I have taken may risks in my life, I've made a lot of stupid choices, I've thrown a lot away, pushed people away, but I will not let you be one of those categories."

Pepper doesn't answer. She looks down at her photos and felt a tear leave her eye.

"Then I'm going with you."

Tony didn't answer. He began thinking and thought back to when Loki attacked the aircraft. However, it would be more comfort knowing she was closer rather than farther and alone. Tony took her hand and squeezed it. Pepper squeezed back and then got off the bed and headed for the closet.

"Where are you going?" Tony asks.

"You really think you can back your own bag Tony?"

Tony chuckled. She had a point.

* * *

Fury is standing by the plane entrance waiting for Tony. Everybody else is boarded and ready to go, but Tony. After waiting an extra half an hour he finally saw the Stark number 13 car pull up and Tony step out. What he didn't expect was Pepper to be with him, though he made a point not to argue it. Thor has also brought Jane and Betty was with Bruce. Pepper and Tony passed Fury without saying a word and headed to their seats. It would be a short flight. Pepper took the window seat and took Tony's hand to squeeze during take off. She hated taking off. Fury closed the plane door and told the pilot they were ready for take off. Tony let Pepper rest her head on his shoulder as they took off. They were seated behind everyone so nobody saw them unless they turned around. Once in the air, Pepper pulled out a magazine filled with baby room ideas. Tony just smiled and put his arm around her and raised the arm bar between them.

"We have an hour to kill so I figured we could look at some ideas?" she said with a smile. Tony smiled back and shook his head.

"I already have plans for the Malibu house." Tony says. Pepper looks up at him with raised eyebrows. Tony has a grin plastered on his face and it causes concern for Pepper.

"Oh please tell me it isn't Iron Man themed!" Pepper says. Tony laughs and shakes his head.

"No, don't worry it is a somewhat normal room."

"Somewhat?"

Tony smiled and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, Rhodey is in on it too and if it were something dangerous or beyond a baby's room don't you think he would tell you?"

Pepper thought about it and Tony made a good point. Rhodey would never do anything to make Pepper angry with the room unless he wanted his godfather title stripped.

"So what is in it then?" Pepper asks and puts a sweet smile on her face. Tony shakes his head.

"I'm not saying! You will see the day you carry our child into the room for the first time."

"Assuming our child is born in California." Pepper points out. Tony shakes his head quickly.

"He is so going to be a California baby."

Pepper smiles, "He? I don't know if I can handle another boy stark."

"Nah, you'll be fine if he grows up to be like me!"

Pepper giggled and slapped him lightly. "A mini Tony Stark?"

Tony smiled and before he answered Fury came over to talk to the team. Fury began saying something to them, but Tony's head was so not listening to it. He was thinking about the future and how his future could be at risk. Pepper is looking out the window and he moves to her ear to whisper something,

"Marry me."

Pepper turns with a puzzled look on her face. "I believe I already said yes hence why I am wearing a ring." She says and holds up her hand. Tony smiles and takes her hand in his and shakes his head.

"No I mean today, marry me today."

Pepper's eyes widen and she is speechless.

"Stark are you listening?" Fury grunts.

"No." Tony answers without taking his eyes off of Pepper. The team turns and looks at the pair. Tony is still holding her hand and he runs his thumb along the back of her hand and over the ring.

"I… what ummm what?" Pepper stutters.

"You heard me." Tony says softly.

Pepper stared at him and didn't know what to say or what to do. "Tony…" she whispers so nobody hears but they do. "It's not even possible right now…"

"What isn't?" Steve asks.

"Getting married now." Natasha answers. Everybody's eyes go wide and Pepper blushes.

"Fury could marry you!" Jane says happily. Tony groans. This was supposed to be a private conversation between him and Pepper. "Thor told me some of Fury's qualities and he is qualified to marry!"

Everybody looked at Thor. He shrugged, "Loki mentioned it to me when we were back on Asgard."

Steve and Fury rolled their eyes.

"We could throw a ceremony when we land!" Betty says with excitement. Pepper sat back in her seat and bit her lip.

"You have no metal bonds." Thor says. Bruce frowns.

"He means rings." Steve clarifies.

"You can weld some metal together." Natasha says while reading a magazine.

"Hold it!" Pepper says and stands up. "We are not getting married today!" She moves past Tony and towards the back of the plane. Tony jumps up and follows her until they are out of earshot. He follows her into the small bathroom and closes the door behind him. "Are you insane?" she hisses.

"Nope." Tony answers casually. Pepper shakes her head and chuckles.

"Tony, we agreed we would get married after the baby is born and with my family and Rhodey and Happy there! Not on some strange floating fortress!"

Tony takes both of Pepper's hands in his and brings her close.

"What if I don't have those months? What if…"

Pepper puts a finger to his lips. "Nothing will happen to you, Tony." Pepper says softly. Tony shakes his head.

"We can't know that for certain and it will be my one regret forever if we never married and something happened," Tony argues. Pepper opens her mouth to talk, but no words come out. "Remember the first night we danced?"

Pepper thinks back and she smiles a bit, "You mean the night you left me on the balcony?"

Tony rolls his eyes and smiles, "Yes, but it wasn't on purpose."

Pepper snorts and looks away. "I thought you picked up some blonde to take home and you forgot about me."

Tony takes a hand and takes hold of her chin lightly and turns her head so she is looking at him, "I could never forget you Pep."

Pepper shook her head, "And my birthday?"

"Back to my point," Tony says so she doesn't flip the conversation. "You had that same expression on your face. The look that says my heart wants to but head is yelling no. It wouldn't be the official wedding with the dress and flowers and all that stuff, but one that makes us official."

Pepper didn't answer. She just stood there looking at Tony. He seemed very serious about this. She then looked at his arc reactor glowing through his shirt and she flashes back to many moments…

"_I shouldn't be alive unless it was for a reason, I'm not crazy Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do and I know in my heart that it's right."_

"_I thought we were having a moment."_

"_I was having 12% of a moment."_

"_Did you use a new shampoo, Pepper?"_

"_Pepper?! Who in the sam hell is Pepper?"_

"_It's me daddy, and yes Tony I used a new coconut one this morning"_

"_I'm pregnant…"_

"_I never thought I would have the chance to be a father… until we became a couple."_

"_Oh?"_

"_You're the only one I'd ever have kids with."_

"_Why is that?"_

"_Might as well have them with someone you love."_

Pepper took his hand and then kissed him softly. Tony smiled against it. Their kiss was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.

"Some of us actually have to use the bathroom!" Steve yells. Tony sighs and kisses Pepper again before she breaks away and unlocks the door. They step out and see Steve waiting. "Well?"

Tony frowns, "Well what?"

"Are you tying the knot or what?" Clint yells from across the plane. Tony looks at Pepper and squeezes her hand. The ball was in her court on this. She would give the final answer. He just hoped it would be the one he wants to hear.


	14. Chapter 14

All she could see was darkness; no sources of light anywhere. She could only hear the sound of screaming; nothing peaceful. She felt as if she were floating in a dark cloud that went on forever. Then distinct voices began to speak, some friendly while others were dark in nature.

"I can play with your mind…" the dark voice whispered. She stopped moving around the cloud and stood still. "Make you hear things you don't want to hear… see things you will never be able to un see."

"_Have you ever had someone take your brain and play… pull you out… stuff something else in? You know what it's like to be unmade?"_

She makes a fist and closes her eyes as the dark voice laughs in her ears. "It's a new skill I've developed overtime… I decided you would be the perfect experiment. You've already tried to get into my mind."

"_I was wrong director, the world hasn't changed a bit."_

Her breathing was becoming erratic, shallow breaths in and out.

"_I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction!" _

"Your mind is conflicted… battling right from wrong… tell me? What was your past like… show me who you were before."

"_My people want nothing but peace with your planet."_

"_But you're not the only people out there are you?" _

She can feel herself drawing blood from her palms. Her legs begin to give out and she falls to her knees.

"Show me… the red in your ledger…"

She could feel her body begin to shake and her lungs tighten as if she needed to scream. She does and the shaking becomes more violent. She can hear the laughter from his voice. Suddenly, she hears other voices calling out for her. She unclenches her fist and can feel another take her hand.

"What makes you think I will leave now?"

The voice fights back in her head and her clenches her hands again.

"Let me go!" she calls out to the clouds.

"_I'm sure if he still made weapons Stark would neck deep…"_

"_Wait now hold on? How is this about me?"_

"_I'm sorry isn't everything?"_

She throats tightens as if she is being strangled. She can't speak or cry out for help. This was more than a nightmare; it was a night terror.

"Natasha?" a calm voice called out. Natasha opened her eyes and see a bit of light and her throat being released. The light grew stronger and the dark clouds began to disappear. All but one. The biggest dark cloud went straight for her and she screamed and closed her eyes.

"Natasha wake up!" another voice yelled. Natasha opened her eyes and everything was bright. She felt a presence of people around her; someone was holding her hand. She immediately let go and put both hands on her head. She was sweating like a pig to the point where her bangs were damp. She sat up quickly and looked around. She was still on the plane and everybody was looking at her with concern. Clint was bent down next to her seat and Steve was standing behind her chair. Natasha felt a wave of anger hit her hard and she kicked whatever was in front of her. She kicked the chair and it broke right away. Clint and Steve pulled Natasha back and held her down.

"Relax!" Steve yelled.

"You're okay." Clint says in a softer voice. Natasha relaxed back and just looked up at the ceiling. Nobody spoke; they were all waiting for her to speak. After a couple minutes and seeing Fury she speaks,

"He can get into your mind… play with it and extract what he wants…."

Thor stepped forward with a frown on his face, "What is this you speak of?"

Natasha looks down at her hands and sees she did in fact draw blood on both hands. Clint grabbed a napkin and went to help her, but she pulled away.

"Loki… he… he said he developed a new skill… make you hear what you don't want to hear, make you see what you don't want to see."

Nobody spoke. Fury's eyes went wide, Thor put his hands on his head and he felt like punching something, Bruce had his hands on his head while sitting and Betty with a hand on his back, Steve was standing across from Natasha with Clint on the floor in shock, and Tony had an arm wrapped around Pepper to keep her close.

"How is it possible?" Thor finally growled. Jane put a hand on his arm to prevent him from punching something.

"Did he say anything else?" Fury asks. Natasha doesn't respond verbally; she shakes her head.

"I'm his experiment though… he is replaying the past in my head… he wants my complete past." She says.

"He is building allies…" Thor says and slams a hand on a seat. "The Mandarin is against Stark… he is looking for an enemy of yours now."

Fury stands up and puts his hands on his hips. "If that is the case we are not waiting until the opening of Stark Tower. We end this now."

They all look at Fury and Tony sees something in his eyes. He recognizes it because he has seen it in the mirror.

"What do you mean by end?" Tony cautiously asks. Fury looks at Tony and then the team. Thor sighs because he knows what Fury means and so he punches the seat, which puts a hole through it.

"You mean to kill Loki…" Bruce says. It wasn't a question; it was a statement. Fury looks around at his team, stops and meets Thor's eyes as he says,

"It is the only way."


	15. Chapter 15

Previously….

_"Tony, we agreed we would get married after the baby is born and with my family and Rhodey and Happy there! Not on some strange floating fortress!"_

_"__I never thought I would have the chance to be a father… until we became a couple."_

_"__Might as well have them with someone you love."_

_"Are you tying the knot or what?"_

_"__Have you ever had someone take your brain and play… pull you out… stuff something else in? You know what it's like to be unmade?"_

_"Show me… the red in your ledger…"_

_"Loki… he… he said he developed a new skill… make you hear what you don't want to hear, make you see what you don't want to see."_

_"You mean to kill Loki…"_

_"It is the only way."_

The plane was silent. Everybody was seated and silent. Clint was next to Natasha as she just stared out the window. Fury looked out his window as well and Thor behind him had his head on the seat in front of him with Jane next to him. Tony had his arm wrapped around Pepper as she slept on him. He never did get his answer. Pepper was going to answer when Natasha started screaming suddenly. Tony didn't even see her asleep or perhaps she was awake and Loki got into her mind then. He looked around and saw Steve was sitting alone looking out the window lost in thought. Bruce and Betty were seated in the front so Tony couldn't see them. He looked at Steve and for a moment wondered what it was like for him; everybody minus Fury has someone special in his or her lives (Clint and Natasha deny it, but everybody knows something is there). Tony knew there was a woman back in the day that he loved, but Tony never found out her name. Pepper stirs a bit and Tony's gaze is brought to her. Her eyes flutter open and he smiles.

"Are we almost there?" she asks softly and sits up. Tony nods.

"About ten more minutes."

Pepper nods and puts her head back down on his shoulder, "How is Natasha?"

Tony and Pepper look over and see she is sitting still and looking out the window. "She hasn't spoken since Fury says Loki must be killed," Tony answers. Pepper sighs and briefly glances out the window before pulling out her phone. "You never did answer me before."

Pepper looks up from her phone and at Tony. She didn't know what to say to him or what her answer should be. She knows it wouldn't be the official wedding, but she wouldn't want to marry for the reason of thinking they may never get the chance to in the future. However, she doesn't want to regret not marrying him if something were to happen to him. She doesn't want to think about something happening to him; she almost lost him in New York. Pepper thinks back in their past from when she was first interviewed, her first day on the job, the day before Tony was kidnapped, the firefighter benefit, the explosion at Stark Industries, the week they spent in New Orleans, and the moment she saw him alive when she arrived in New York…

_Pepper was antsy in the back seat of Happy's car as they drove to Stark Tower. Her eyes were red from crying especially after she saw she had a missed call from Tony. He wasn't answering his phone now. Pepper sees all the police in the streets still; it had been a day since the epic battle. When they pull up to Stark Tower, she looks up and sees it is just an A on the tower. The press was swarming around the entrance and when they saw her pull up some came running to her. Happy guided her through the sea of people and she didn't answer a single question. They got into the building and saw the lobby was still intact. She went straight for the private elevator and she and Happy got in._

"_Is he in Jarvis?" Happy asks. _

"_Mr. Stark is currently located out of the tower. He informed me he had some business to finish in Central Park." Jarvis answers._

_Pepper lets out a breath she was holding in. She was still incredibly worried about his physical state, but it was a bit comforting knowing he was alive and in a condition to be able to walk. They reached the top floor and Happy and Pepper's jaws dropped at the amount of damage. Pepper couldn't help but think how all of this occurred within a couple days. There was a giant hole in the ground, the wall was smashed, and the glass was shattered. Some windows were boarded up but a couple were still open. A small breeze blew in. Pepper watched her step as she looked around at the damage. Most of it was in the main living area. Pepper went and inspected their bedroom. There didn't seem to be any damage in that room or the bathroom. When she came back out she saw Happy near the bar._

"_He'll be happy that the bar is intact," He jokes. Pepper gives a small smile and sits on the couch. "Do you want a drink?"_

_Pepper shakes her head. Happy nods and gets a glass of water for Pepper anyways. He hands it to her and sits down on the table. She hasn't spoken since the airport. _

"_Do you mind going to the car… and getting my stuff?" Pepper asks. Happy takes the hint that she wants to be alone and notes to take his time. He stands._

"_I'll get right on it."_

_Pepper watches him leave and once he is gone she lets it all out. She cries for about ten minutes before standing up to look out the window. She can see all of the damage that has been done to New York; one building looks as if it is about to collapse. She hears the elevator ding and turns to see a man with whom she is unfamiliar with step out with Tony. Tony. Her breath caught at the sight of a cut on his face. Tony was standing talking to the man at the elevator and didn't see Pepper. Pepper wasn't due back for another day, but she cancelled everything to come home. It was the man who spotted Pepper first. Tony frowned at the man and then he turned to see Pepper. His breath caught at the sight of her standing there. He could see tears coming out of her eyes and raced over to her. Pepper didn't move as he came over and he immediately took hold of her and kissed her passionately. One of her hands went to his face while the other clung to him. She kissed him back just as passionately as the tears came out of her eyes. _

"Pep?" Tony asks and brings her back to reality. She shakes her head and looks at him with raised eyebrows. "We're here."

Pepper looks out the window and sees they have landed on a giant ship in the ocean. Pepper unbuckles and follows Tony off of the plane. Tony takes her hand on the stairs and helps her down.

"We need to head inside so we can fly." Maria informs the group. Tony didn't even know she was on the flight. She must have been flying the plane or something. Tony still had Pepper's hand as they headed inside. Pepper, Jane, and Betty's eyes went wide as they looked around. Once all the doors were shut the fortress took flight and disappeared.

"This is where you came last time?" Pepper whispers to Tony. He nods as they walk the hallways. They go past the lab area that was blown up before. It is completely repaired now. They finally reach the main operations room and Fury and Maria immediately head to several computers while everybody else takes a seat at the table. "What is dinner?" Pepper randomly asks Tony. Tony shrugs.

"No idea, why you hungry?" he asks. Pepper nods. Tony whistles over at Fury and Pepper elbows him. Fury turns around with eyebrows raised and arms crossed.

"Yes Stark?" he growls.

"Got any food in this joint?" he asks. Pepper sighs. Note to ask Natasha or Bruce next time. Fury rolls his eye and walks over.

"Food can wait." Fury says and stares Tony down. Tony shakes his head and stares back.

"Food can wait for me, food cannot wait for a pregnant woman."

Pepper went a bit red and sighed, but she was indeed hungry and the baby would need food as well. Fury looked at Pepper and then back at Tony.

"Barton, will you show Miss. Potts and Mr. Stark the break room? For now that food will have to do." Fury says and then walks away and back to his computers. Clint agrees and Tony and Pepper follow him down a couple halls before they reach the room. It was small, but had a fridge, vending machines, and cabinets with food.

"Is this what assassins survive on?" Tony asks as he looks through everything. Clint shrugs.

"There isn't exactly time for a three course meal."

"Thank you Clint," Pepper says and shoots Tony a glare. "I'm sure I will find something in here."

Clint nods and looks back at Tony who is going through the fridge. "Can you find your way back?"

Tony puts a thumb up, "Sure and if not I don't mind getting lost with Pep."

Pepper rolled her eyes and smiled. Clint nodded and headed out. Pepper wandered over to the fridge and pressed herself against Tony and leant over him to look in.

"Anything good?" she asks. Tony pulls something green in a container out and Pepper frowns. "What…"

"No idea, but it is trash now," Tony says and throws it away. Tony goes over to the cabinets and begins to look around. "Surprisingly I've found Luna Bars in here, the lemon kind."

Pepper shrugs. What she really wants she knows she can't have right now. Her hormones were beginning to drive her a little crazy. She didn't want to be picky though. Tony goes through everything, but nothing satisfies Pepper. Finally, she settles on an apple in the fridge with peanut butter. They talk while she is eating until Steve appears. Tony groans and knows his moment with Pepper is ruined.

"I thought we were having a moment." Tony grumbles. Pepper sweetly smiles.

"I was having twelve percent of a moment."

Steve clears his throat and says, "Fury wants to know how long it takes to get a snack?"

"You trying pleasing a pregnant woman," Tony mumbles and stands up. Steve and Pepper's eyes go wide at his wording and Tony catches how it could have sounded. "I meant food wise. I've got no problems pleasing a pregnant woman."

"Too much Stark…" Steve moans as he gets mental images he doesn't need. Pepper giggles and kisses Tony's cheek. Tony thought Pepper would yell at him for a comment like that, but he was happy with a kiss instead. "Fury wants to prep us for what is ahead."

Tony frowns, "Prep? How?"

* * *

"I didn't know this place had a gym." Steve says as Fury leads the crew into the on board gym. He turns and looks at everybody.

"I'll have Banner, Foster, and Betty in the lab calculating where Loki and the Mandarin's whereabouts could be," Fury says. Those three nod. "For now, you five (Tony, Natasha, Clint, Thor, and Steve) need to prepare for battle much worse and greater than New York."

Tony raises his hand and Fury rolls his eye.

"Greater than flying a nuclear bomb into another universe?" he asks. Natasha and Clint chuckle and Steve can't help but smile.

"No more basketball!" Steve adds. Tony, Clint, and Natasha nod in agreement. Fury smiles a bit.

"No, I want you five training and preparing because we don't know when the first strike will be," Fury answers. Maria throws each of the five a remote. Tony pushes the button before Fury could say anything. One of the gym walls opened and his suit appeared. "I want constant preparation. This," he says and passes out a paper. "Is the food and sleep schedule. First sleep shift is in an hour with Stark and Potts. Stark, you get four hours rest. No exceptions."

Tony saw Thor and Steve glance at Tony, but he didn't respond. Then something occurred to him,

"Shower?"

Fury frowned, "What?"

"When is my shower time? I would prefer not to smell after working out and "preparing" for this fight coming up."

Pepper bites her lip to stop a smile coming to her face. She did know how much Tony liked his showers, besides the fact that she is usually in there with him, which will not be happening here despite what he says.

"I agree!" Thor yells. Fury sighs.

"Add it into your sleep time then. We cannot waste time. Now, Maria will be in here with you guys."

Fury then walks off with Bruce, Jane, and Betty. Everybody else just stands there and looks at each other. Natasha pushed her button and a wall opened with everything she needs. Thor didn't bother to push his; he held his hand out and his hammer came flying through the wall.

"Still think you can take me Stark?" Steve finally says as he pushes his button and goes for his uniform.

"_You know damn well why back off!"_

"_Oh I'm starting to want you to make me…"_

Tony looks at Steve and recognizes the look he got before the lab was blown up. Maria sees this could not end well and takes Pepper over to a table away from possible harm. Tony walks over to Steve.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Tony asks with a small hint of anger. Steve puts his gloves on and laughs,

"Big man in a suit of arm, take that away and what are you?"

Tony and Steve's relationship was far from perfect. They wouldn't consider themselves friends, more like acquaintances stuck in the same battle who got along because they had to.

"Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist," Tony says back. Steve shrugs. "What is your game here Rogers? Everything that is special about you came out of a bottle and from a machine my father built."

Clint, Thor, and Natasha looked at each other not knowing what to say or do.

"This is all just as it was before, us sitting around waiting for Loki to make his move while you provoke the rest of us." Steve answers. Tony starts to back up towards his suit, but his eyes don't leave Steve.

"How am I provoking?" Tony asks. Steve changes out of his shirt and into his uniform shirt.

"You know all of this planning and scheduling is because of you? We could be out there finding Loki but no you refuse to and Fury for some reason thinks we need you."

Tony stopped in his tracks.

"Steve don't do this…" Natasha says and moves towards Steve.

"He always looks for a way out! He makes the world believe he is a hero!"

"He is as are we!" Thor yells and moves towards Steve with Natasha. Tony's frown grows deeper; he is questioning Steve's behaviour right now mostly because it is out of the blue. A thought comes to his mind and he knows he needs to test it. Over in the corner, Maria and Pepper are watching, but Pepper sees a light bulb goes off in Tony's mind and she wonders what he could be thinking. Tony drops his remote to activate the suit and walks away from it and towards Steve.

"Fine, drop the shield solider and let's fight this out like normal people." Tony challenges. Steve stares back and then drops his shield to brush past Tony and to the rink. Natasha grabs Tony's arm.

"What the hell are you doing?" she sneers. Tony looks at Clint,

"Keep your bows ready."

Clint frowns and they all watch Tony go over to the rink where Steve is ready. Tony gets into the fighting position and before he can say anything Steve attacks. Steve goes for a left swing to Tony's jaw, but Tony is quick enough to deflect and punch Steve in the stomach. Steve goes back a bit and looks up at Tony.

"Guys stop this!" Maria finally yells. Tony turns to see Maria and as he turns Steve goes for Tony. Tony goes flying through the rink bands and lands on his side. Pepper stands up,

"Tony!"

Tony manages to stand up and sees Clint has his bow out and an arrow pointed at Steve. Tony shakes his head and Clint slowly lowers his arrow.

"I see how it will be." Tony says and gets back in the rink. Tony can see Steve's pupils are completely dilated to the point where he can't see the colour of his eyes.

"Hard without a suit isn't it?" Steve mocks. Tony shrugs. First thing he needed to do was distract Steve. Tony pulled his shirt off and pretended to wipe his head off, but instead he threw it at Steve. Next, Tony blocked Steve's blind jab and then hit Steve's left cheek with a fist. Everybody else watched in shock as Tony fought back. Tony then discombobulated Steve and left Steve dazed. Steve went for Tony's lower left rib, but Tony elbow blocked it and body shot Steve. Steve stumbled back and then went to punch Tony again; Tony blocked and then hit Steve's right jaw to weaken it and then punched Steve in the gut again. Lastly, Tony kicked Steve's diaphragm and that sent Steve to the ground completely.

"Oh my gosh!" Natasha yelled and ran to Steve, but Tony beat her to it. Tony grabbed Steve by the throat and pushed him all the way to the ground.

"Let him go!" Tony yelled and slapped Steve across the face again. Steve moaned a bit and then punched Tony in the stomach sending Tony flying. Tony hit the button on his wrist and stood up. His suit came flying towards him and assembled around his body. The last thing was his mask. Steve stood and ran for his shield. Tony fired at Steve's side of the wall and his shield went flying away from Steve. Steve then grabbed his head and began yelling in pain before turning back to Tony. Tony, now with his suit, was much stronger and grabbed Steve and pushed him against the wall. He lifted his mask.

"Come on Steve fight him. I know you're in there fight!" Tony yelled. Steve yelled in pain again.

"_I gotta put her in the water…"_

"_You won't be alone…"_

"_Hey! Are you nuts… is everything a joke to you?"_

"_Funny things are."_

"_Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny!"_

"_Phil Coulson still believing in that idea… in heroes."_

Steve yelled out again as everything went dark in his eyes again. Tony punched the wall near Steve's head. Steve closed his eyes tight and his breathing went shallow.

"_Sometimes there isn't a way out Tony…"_

"_Right! I've heard that before."_

"_Is this the first time you've lost a solider?"_

"_We are not soldiers!"_

Tony released Steve as he yelled out one more time and Steve hit the ground. Steve went limp and eventually passed out. Natasha and Clint ran over to him with Maria on their tail. Tony disassembled the suit and watched the team huddle around Steve.

"I need a medic unit to level three gym immediately." Maria said into her COM. Once the suit was off Tony he nearly hit the ground until Thor caught him. Pepper was immediately at his side.

"How did you know Loki was in his head?" Thor asks as he watches the medic team come in to help Steve. Thor looks at Tony's condition and knows he will need help as well. "We need a medic for him as well!"

A guy came over to look over Tony.

"Gut feeling…" Tony breathes out to answer Thor. "Better for him… to take his anger out… on me."

Pepper kisses his forehead and holds his hand as he is lifted onto a stretcher.

"But why you?" Pepper asks as they race down the hallway with Thor behind her.

"I have a suit to… to protect me… if I got hurt… battle…"

Tony's voice faded as he passed out. Fury and Jane appeared from a nearby room.

"What happened?" Fury yells as he sees Steve and Tony on stretchers, both of them passed out.

"Loki attacked Roger's mind." Thor answers. They enter a medical room and Fury looks at Tony.

"Tony saw it," Pepper says before Fury could ask. "He said it was his gut feeling and he had Steve attack him rather than the team."

Pepper bent down slowly and brushed Tony's hair and saw that he had a cut on his forehead. She could hear Thor and Fury discussing this dark magic Loki seems to have adapted.

"This magic I know not of nor have I heard of it before." Thor tells Fury. A nurse brings over a chair for Pepper and she sits at Tony's side and holds his hand. Her thumb slowly rubbed over his knuckles in a continuous pattern. Steve woke before Tony did and Fury immediately went on questioning him.

"I don't remember when he got into my head…" Steve groans and sits up a bit. "I remember landing and then the rest is a blank, what happened?"

Natasha went on to tell Steve what went down in the gym and what Tony did. Steve looks over and sees Pepper holding Tony's hand and looking down at him.

"Do you know how you broke out?" Natasha asks. Steve tries to remember and he can remember someone yelling at him… or Loki… to get him to snap out of it. "Then perhaps he left on his own accord." Natasha concludes.

Jane, who had remained silent in the corner, now spoke up and they all looked at her, "The question is who will his next target be? And when?"

They all agreed. Pepper felt Tony squeeze her hand and she looks down at his face. His eyes slowly open and the first thing he sees is she.

"You're okay." Pepper says softly. Pepper speaking alerted Fury that Tony was awake. He and Thor go over to his bed, but Tony doesn't look at them. His eyes are on Pepper.

"This better not count as my sleep time…" Tony groans. Pepper smiles and lets out a small laugh. Thor smiles and even Fury can't help but smile a little bit. Tony was going to be fine as was Steve.


	16. The Battle Begins I

Fury was walking down the hallway back to the main quarters when Maria caught up to him.

"Sir, has Thor determined this… dark magic being used?" she asks as they walk fast. Fury shakes his head.

"No. For this one Jane believes we need to go to the books."

Maria frowns and tries to think of what books he could possibly be talking about, but she moves on.

"Sir, what if Loki goes after Banner and tries to unleash the hulk?"

Fury stops dead in his tracks. Maria can see the thought never occurred to him. It was true it hadn't. If it were possible for Loki to get into Banner's head then they would have a serious problem on their hands. Maria was talking to him, but nothing came in as he was thinking. Finally, he snapped out of it and turned to Maria,

"What?" he asks. Maria takes a deep breath and starts again,

"What if we try and figure out how Agent Romanoff and Captain America were able to break free. It could be the key to keeping Loki out of everybody else's minds." She suggested. Another excellent idea with no place to begin.

"How did Rogers break out?" Fury asks as they reach the main control room. They walked over to Fury's computer.

"I want to say it was Stark who did it. He beat the shit…" Maria began and Fury frowned. "He gave Steve a hard beating and then when it didn't work he grabbed Rogers by the throat and pushed him against the wall."

Fury nods and moves some things on his computer screen.

"So for all we know Loki could have left on his own."

Maria sighs and nods, "How did Agent Romanoff break loose?"

"I want to say it was Barton," Fury says without looking at Maria. Maria crosses her arms and tries to make connections between the two attacks. "He took her hand and yelled at her to wake up and she did."

Maria sighed. There we no connections that she could see, but perhaps they would be seen with the people it happened to.

* * *

Steve was up and going within the next hour while Tony was still having a bit of trouble, but he would manage. They were all sitting around Tony's bed talking when Maria came in and informed them of her thoughts and left them to figure it out. Tony looked at Pepper and saw she was quite tired so while the others were looking at Maria when she was talking he motioned for her to move closer and lay next to him. She moved and lay down next to the wall and Tony put his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

"Sleep." He whispers. He puts his arm around her and brings her to his side. After Maria left the team turned and saw Pepper fast asleep and curled up next to Tony.

"Should we go somewhere else?" Betty asks. Tony looks down and sees she is out like a light. He shakes his head.

"Nah, she has adapted to sleeping while my music is blasting in my lab. She'll be fine."

Betty nods and they all look at Natasha and Steve. Neither knows who should speak first. They eventually got into it and spent about an hour and a half talking about it until they felt the aircraft slowly tip and the alarm went off. Pepper woke up in an instant and everybody was up. Maria came running.

"It's the Mandarin! He's found us."

Tony and Pepper sat up and Pepper handed Tony his shirt. Fury came around the corner.

"Suit up now! We can only hold off for so long with planes."

"What are we up against?" Clint asks and grabs his bow and arrow.

"Two helicopters with heavy fire power and one blackbird." Maria answers. Steve looks at Tony and Tony looks right back. There was suddenly a huge crash. A woman came running.

"Sir! They are men jumping down and coming through the vents."

Steve, Clint, Natasha, and Thor raced off to get their things. Tony looked at Bruce and Bruce was staring outside.

"Bruce," Betty whispers and begins talking to him. Tony turns to Pepper.

"It's me he wants." He says softly. Pepper nods and only nods because she doesn't know what to say. Pepper's eyes suddenly went extremely wide and she back ups a bit. Tony heard another crash and turned and his eyes went wide as well. Bruce suited up. Betty comes forward to Tony.

"Let him protect Pepper." She says. Tony is about to speak when the Hulk moves towards them and looks at Pepper and then Betty. Betty nods and takes hold of the Hulk's hand.

"Pepper." The Hulk manages to speak. Pepper looked at Betty and Betty nodded. The Hulk held out his hand for Pepper. Pepper slowly moved forward and then looked at Tony. There was another crash and they could hear gunshots. She reached up and kissed Tony before taking the Hulk's hand. She and Betty were tucked in the arms of the Hulk and he gave a loud roar that shook the floor.

"Hey!" Tony yells and the Hulk turns to Tony. "I swear if she gets hurt your big green ass is mine!"

The Hulk grunts and Tony sprints by him and pushes the buttons on his wrist. He runs into the others.

"Where is Banner?" Thor asks. There is then a giant roar and the sound of smash. Question answered.

"He did it on his own accord." Tony says and then runs when they hear gunfire. The team enters the control room and sees the window was smashed open and good was fighting evil. Steve threw his shield and knocked out a guy about to shoot Maria. Tony in the distance could hear his suit coming. He looked at the window and knew what had to be done. He runs past everybody and ignores Fury and Steve's yells at him as Tony dives out the window. Moments after, the suit blasts past everybody and knocks out three guys.

"Is he crazy?" Maria screams and kicks a guy. Clint goes to answer when they hear the suit and then the suit is in sight.

"He's going after the blackbird!" Thor yells.

"Thor take the helicopters out!" Fury orders and shoots a guy. "Barton and Romanoff and Rogers spread the craft and split up. We take them out one by one!"

"Sir, what about the hulk?" Maria yells. He shakes his head.

"Sir!" one unknown agent yells as he runs in. "The Hulk has two women in his arms and is plowing through the craft as we speak. Nobody knows where he is going."

"Two?" Thor yells. "Whom does he have?"

"One with black hair and one with red hair." The guy answers. Thor races off when Fury grabs his arm.

"Helicopter!" he orders. Thor shakes him and runs out in search of Jane.

"What do we do about Banner?" Steve asks. The smoke in the room clears a bit and only the good guys remain standing. Fury is about to answer when a louder voice comes over the speakers.

"Trust him," Tony managed to connect his suit to the COMs of everybody and the speakers. "It's me the Mandarin wants. I'm drawing the fight away from you guys."

Clint and Natasha race over the window to see Tony dive down towards the water. The blackbird follows. Natasha expects Tony to pull up quickly, but instead he goes right under the water. The blackbird quickly pulls up.

"Hey!" Steve yells at the two of them. They turn. "We still have men in trouble. Stark knows what his is doing now go!"

Natasha and Clint prepare and head out, but Natasha turns to look at Steve. "Where are you going?"

Steve picks up his shield and flicks it to hear it ring, "The sky."


	17. Ten Days

Steve headed to the runway. He knew the helicopter needed to be taken out. It was windy because of the propellers and he had to walk carefully. In a way he was making this up as he went. Tony was nowhere to be seen in the sky and same for the blackbird. Steve couldn't even hear it, which was suspicious. The helicopter slowly landed on the runway and the doors opened to reveal more men stepping out. Steve knew he still had his com and he used it,

"For anybody who can hear me the helicopter has landed and men are stepping out." He whispers and ducks down behind a barrel so the men don't see him. Nobody responded. He then heard screaming,

"Let me go! No!"

Steve looks up and sees two big men have Jane in their arms. She fights them off, but it is no use. The men are much stronger. Steve doesn't see any sign of Thor and knows what has to be done. Steve grabs his shield and throws it at one of the men. The man is knocked down and Jane kicks the other one. Steve runs over and helps Jane fight off a guy when they see another man step off the helicopter. Steve gives the guy on his arm on last punch that knocks the man out. Steve remembers this guy from the street. He had a gun raised at Steve and Jane. One of his men awakens and stands up,

"This is not Pepper Potts!" The Mandarin yells. The guy didn't know what to say.

"She was the only woman we saw!" he argues. The Mandarin rolls his eyes and shoots the guy. He falls with a cry and grabs his arm in pain. Steve holds his shield up to cover Jane and part of himself.

"Where is the real Pepper Potts?" the Mandarin asks. Neither of them answers. He fires his gun, but the shield deflects it. "Answer my question."

"She isn't even on this aircraft!" Jane yells. "Do you think Stark would really be that stupid?"

The Mandarin does not answer. He walks towards Jane and Steve and they slowly walk backwards.

"I know she is on this ship do not dare lie to me!" he sneers as he continues to walk forward. What nobody knows is that the com in Steve's not only feeds information, but can hear information. As this whole thing plays out, Fury is listening while racing to the runway. Steve takes a step and realizes nothing is there. He nearly falls off the runway, but Jane grabs him.

"We will never tell you anything!" Jane yells at the Mandarin. The Mandarin just gives an evil laugh and sighs. He raises his gun at Jane's head ready to fire. Steve sees no other option than to grab Jane from around the waist and fall backwards. Jane screams as Steve leads her over the edge and they fall nearly four hundred stories right into water. The Mandarin watches and sighs.

"Pity." He comments and returns to his helicopter. It is just taking liftoff when Fury and Natasha reach the deck. The helicopter takes off and Natasha runs to the side of the runway. She looks down into the water and sees no sign of Steve or Jane. Fury fires a couple of shots at the helicopter, but it is no use. He races over to the side with Natasha and he cannot see Jane or Steve either. Fury can hear a door open in the distance and knows it must be Thor and Clint.

"Where is Jane?" Thor yells at Natasha and Fury. Natasha just looks down and Thor frowns until it hits him. He looks over into the water. He smashes his hammer on the runway and cracks it. Nobody dares go after him as he storms off and smashes whatever is in sight.

"Rogers went over as well," Fury tells Clint. He, Natasha, and Clint move away from the edge. "Did we get them all?"

Clint nods. "Yes sir, we are just waiting for the back up teams to finish the sweep."

Fury nods and Natasha speaks up,

"And the hulk?"

Clint nods in return. "Nobody dared go near him. He was able to keep Betty and Pepper safe. He is winding down now as we speak."

"It was Pepper the Mandarin wanted," Fury says as they head back indoors. Once inside, they head to the control room. "The men who were in charge of taking her thought Miss. Foster was her."

They reached the control room and found Thor sitting at the table, which now had a fist dent in it. Maria was sitting two seats away from him watching some men fix the window that was shattered.

"Any word from Stark?" Clint asks Maria as he sits next to her. She shakes her head.

"His com went dead once he hit the water. Nobody saw him surface either." She says in a sad voice.

"How do we tell Pepper?" Natasha asks in a depressed voice. Everybody minus Thor look at each other. Moments later, Betty appears with an arm wrapped around Bruce and his helping him to the table. He is all sweaty. Thor stands up and helps Betty with Bruce. Pepper is right behind them. When she does not see Tony she frowns. She also notices Steve and Jane are absent.

"Where is Tony?" she asks to anybody. When nobody answers she gets worried and a hand goes to her stomach and over the bump. Maria was the one to speak up.

"He went after the blackbird," she says in a quiet voice. Pepper can feel the tears building in her eyes. "He went straight for water and went under. The blackbird pulled up and disappeared. Stark's com went out when he hit the water."

Pepper let out a huge breath of relief and gave a small laugh. Everybody was confused at her reaction. She must know something they don't.

"For a moment I thought you were about to tell me the blackbird shot him." She says and sits down. Fury and Natasha frown.

"No but he never surfaced." Fury says and puts his hands on his hips. Pepper shakes his head.

"His suit has an underwater feature like a submarine. He has at least a day of oxygen in his suit." Pepper clarifies. Thor moves over to her.

"Then it is possible he could have been under when the Captain and Jane hit the water, right?" he says with hope. Fury and Maria move to their computers and Maria asks,

"Then why can't we track him and his com is out?"

Pepper stands up and moves towards her, "To make it seem like he is gone so the mandarin wouldn't be able to track him. You wouldn't be able to track him anyways, Jarvis runs his suit and he improved his technology after you over wrote Jarvis when… when Phil came to get him."

"Damn Stark." Fury mumbles and moves away from his computer.

"We still need to try and find Steve and Jane." Bruce says. They all look at him and see he is able to talk and his veins are no longer green.

"What is the probability of them surviving that fall?" Clint asks. Maria pulls up an image of how far they would have fallen. She shakes her head.

"Their chances are not good unless Stark found them. We don't even know if Stark is in a mile radius of us."

Thor slammed his hand and walked over to Maria and Fury, "Stop worrying about a man who has oxygen and focus on the two that don't! Send divers!"

Fury nods and sends a command to lower the aircraft and for divers to prepare. "We cannot spend more than an hour here," he says to Thor. "The Mandarin could come back with more force. Bruce, I want you and Maria figuring out how a blackbird could possibly disappear that fast."

Bruce slowly stood up and went over to Maria. He looked at Pepper and saw a thank you in her eyes. He nods and then focuses on his task. Pepper goes over to Betty and they sit. All they could do was wait.

* * *

As Pepper had said, Iron Man was using his underwater feature. When the blackbird was out of his vision he went to swim away when he heard and saw two figures hit the water. He could make out a woman and he knew it was Captain America as the other figure when he saw the shield. He went over to them and deployed the two extra oxygen masks he had installed for safety. He put each to their faces. He saw the woman was Jane and she was startled when she saw Iron Man. She held the oxygen mask to her face as did Captain America. With three people using his oxygen it would last only about five hours instead of a day. He motioned for them to grab onto him. Jane immediately did, but Captain America was hesitant for a moment. However, Iron Man didn't have time for this. They couldn't risk surfacing and having the mandarin take them so he grabbed Captain America and then set off his rockets on his feet. Captain America and Jane tightened their grip on the suit and mask as Iron Man cruised through the water. They had to trust that Iron Man knew where he was going.

The divers hit the water and searched for over an hour and when they came back with nobody Thor got so angry he nearly started a lightening storm. Natasha was able to calm him down.

"I'm sorry sir," one diver said. "If they are down there they are too far down. I am so sorry."

Fury nods and sighs; he had to count on Stark finding them or else he lost a great solider and Thor lost the love of his life.

* * *

Tony surfaced after about an hour and a half of swimming at over eighty miles an hour. He was able to find land with the help of Jarvis. Jarvis found a small island in the Caribbean. He, Steve, and Jane swam to the deserted beach and the minute Tony hit the beach he collapsed on his back. Jane was coughing a bit and Steve was ringing out his mask. Tony removed his mask and sat up. The sun was setting and soon it would be dark.

"We should get out of the open," Steve says quietly to Jane and Tony. Steve helps Tony to his feet and they move further up the beach and towards a thick patch of palm trees. Tony moves away from the other two and pushes a button on his suit. The suit begins to disassemble itself from his body. Steve and Jane watch in amazement as the giant suit, filled with so much technology, becomes a box. All that is left is the box and his helmet. Tony uses the box as a seat and sits down,

"Please tell me Pepper is okay." He says in a quiet voice. Jane nods and sits beside him.

"The hulk… I mean Bruce kept her safe. Last I saw nobody was daring to go near him. The bad guys thought I was Pepper and went after me instead of her."

Tony lets out a breath of relief, "I am sorry he went after you, but I am relieved she is safe at the moment."

Jane nods and nobody speaks. The sun soon set and Steve made a fire for light and warmth. Eventually, he would speak up,

"Why didn't you surface near the aircraft?" he asks. There was a bit of anger in Steve's voice. Tony sat up straight.

"Did he or did he not try to kill you?" Tony snaps back. He knows his answer when neither Jane nor Steve answers. "Had I surfaced without knowing if the mandarin was there or not he would have taken me and killed you both? There was no other option."

Steve expected the answer and didn't press Tony on that matter, after all Tony did save his and Jane's lives.

"Where are we?" Jane asks Tony.

"A small island in the Caribbean. I knew we couldn't have been far from it. I own a condo on this island. I haven't visited it in years. The last time I was here was a month before my kidnapping."

Jane stands up, as does Steve, "Where is it?" Steve asks. Tony stands up and moves out of the trees to look around. He then points up the coast about two miles away.

"We have to walk this way. It is not on the coast of the island."

Tony picks up his suit in a box and Jane offers to carry his helmet. Steve grabs his shield and they head for the house. By the time they reach the area of where it is the sun had completely set. Tony could see streetlights from the nearby town.

"We must be discrete." Steve whispers. Tony shakes his head.

"We will head towards the back entrance. The only security for this house is Jarvis, no human."

They walk the back roads towards Tony's condo. It isn't as big as his Malibu home, but it is a decent size. Tony heads for the pool entrance and punches in the fence code. Once opened, he pushes it and lets Steve and Jane in. Tony leads them to the back entrance of the condo. Once inside, Tony orders Jarvis to lower all shades and have the lights on dim. They did not need a pedestrian to walk by and see movement in the Stark residence. Tony sets his suit in a box down and takes his helmet from Jane and puts it on top. Steve and Jane looked around the condo. It looked very much like a bachelor pad with the nice black leather couches, big screen TV, bar, a couple posters of swimsuit models framed, and more.

"I can't promise food but I know there are some drinks still good in the bar." Tony says and walks over to it. He hands two cokes to Jane and Steve and takes one for himself.

"When was the last time you were here?" Jane asks as she looks around. Tony thinks back and replies,

"I'm not sure as to the date but it was before my kidnapping. I threw a new years party one time."

Tony notices Steve and Jane are still soaked, but he isn't because of his suit. He leads the two of them to the stairs and they follow Tony upstairs to the bedrooms. Tony looks through his closet to try and find something for Steve to wear. He eventually finds a pair of jeans and a black polo shirt for Steve. Tony knows Pepper must have some clothing here and goes through the guest room closet where she stayed. Knowing Pepper wouldn't mind under these circumstances, he gives Jane a blue blouse and a pair of jeans. Once changed out of wet clothing, Jane puts the wet stuff in the dryer and then they all go to the small workshop Tony has in the basement.

"Do we alert Fury we are here?" Steve asks. Tony sits down in his leather chair and thinks. If they did then the Mandarin could possibly reach them before Fury. If they didn't they would have no knowledge as to what is going on. He shares his thoughts with Steve and Jane.

"Okay, well let us think of what we know!" Jane says and stands up. Steve and Tony look at each other and Tony shrugs as they listen to Jane. "We know, that the Mandarin is targeting the President of the United States and you Stark," she says and writes on an old whiteboard Tony has. "That is how Loki got him into this. Now, Loki is seeking revenge as far as we know and Thor believes he could be building another army. Loki is looking for a show like New York hence why he would target the opening of the new Stark Tower."

"Which is in ten days, right?" Steve asks Tony who nods a reply. "Fury wants to rid Loki forever."

"So for all we know he has no intention of waiting until the opening," Jane says. They don't speak as they think. "Do we try to get to Dallas in ten days?"

An idea then hit Steve and he looked at Tony. Tony frowned and waited for Steve to answer,

"We need to somehow get word to the others that we are going to Dallas," Steve says. Jane and Tony nod. "And of course, we need to hide as we move and keep on the move however the night of the opening who loves the spotlight more than Loki?"

Tony shrugs and Jane smiles because Steve knows who he is talking about.

* * *

Pepper and Betty were sitting in the lounge getting food the next morning and listening to the radio quietly as they talked. Pepper still hadn't heard from Tony and she was getting nervous. Betty kept reassuring her that he would be fine and while she was doing that Bruce was doing the same thing to Thor with Jane. However, Tony had more of a shot at survival. Pepper and Betty stood up the clear their trash when Pepper grabbed Betty's arm. Something on the radio made her stop.

"And I have a message for a white kitten named Salt right after this next song our messenger requested. Who would send a message to a kitten?" the radio host laughs. Pepper grabs the radio and Betty follows Pepper to the main control where the other avengers were talking with Fury and Maria. The conversation stopped when Pepper and Betty came in and Pepper had a radio playing "Drive By" by Train in her hands.

"What is going on?" Clint asks and the song concludes. Pepper made a motion for all of them to be silent and listen.

"Anyways, now for this odd message to Salt the kitten!" the radio host laughs again. "And I quote, this is from Platypus no joke! To Salt, I promise to be there for you on the night of celebration and I plan on bringing our out of date friend and our friend whose favourite song lyric is hammertime! You're all I have…"

Thor, Clint, and Fury looked very confused, but Bruce and Natasha understood.

"It is a message from Stark." Bruce concludes. Pepper nods. Betty frowns,

"How did you know that before the song played?" she asks Pepper. Pepper sits next to Natasha and says,

"He got me a kitten and named it Salt, you know like salt and pepper?"

"Clever." Fury says dryly.

"And Drive By, the song that played, has a recent memory behind it…" Pepper says as she thinks back to Tony finding her dancing and singing around in the kitchen to it. He joined into her dancing and did the moon walk. He ended up tripping onto the couch. Pepper smiled at the memory and then continued, "Platypus is the name he calls our friend Rhodey, our "out of date" friend is Steve because he can't understand any references of this century, and our friend who likes hammertime is Jane because she loves Thor, who has a hammer."

Thor stood up quickly and it startled Pepper and Betty, "You mean to tell me Jane is alive and with Stark and Rogers?" he asks. Pepper nods and Thor smiles with relief.

"What is this celebration Stark refers to?" Maria asks.

"The opening of Stark Tower Dallas in nine days." Natasha answers. Pepper nods in agreement.

"It is where Loki and the Mandarin plan on their final attack and takeover." Clint says.

"And Tony is saying he, Steve, and Jane will be there." Pepper clarifies.

"So it was a message to make sure we go?" Fury asks. Pepper nods. "How did he know you would here?"

"It is about seven when I usually get up and get my breakfast. I listen to the radio in the morning. He must have remembered."

Clint stands up and says, "Well this will be one hell of a week coming up." And he grabs his bow and arrows. Thor grabs his hammer and gets a grip on it. Natasha put a mag in her gun. Bruce stands and rolls up his sleeves. They would be there as well no questions asked.


	18. Day Nine Part 1

Day Nine Part 1

Tony woke up early in the morning with a startle and sweating like a pig. He reached towards where Pepper would be, but he then remembered she was not with him. He did not like sleeping without Pepper and it was the first time in a while since he has slept without her. He decided to get up and get out of bed. He went to the kitchen and raised his eyebrows at the sight in front of him. Jane had her head in the sink and Steve was standing next to her reading a box.

"Hey Tony, I'm sorry about the mess." Jane says as she rinses her hair.

"What are you doing?" Tony mumbles as he walks to the fridge to get a drink. Jane picks her head up and Steve hands her a towel.

"I have to dye my hair a different colour." Jane answers. Tony sees the box and sees she dyed her hair black.

"If we are going to get to Dallas we'll need to be in disguise," Steve says to Tony. Tony just nods as he grabs the cereal box. He turned and saw Steve holding a razor as if it were for Tony to use. He raised his eyebrows. "You're next."

Tony then realized what he meant and shook his head. "No way."

Steve sighs and walks over to Tony, "You are the most recognizable person out of the three of us and your goatee would give us away. It'll grow back!"

Tony puts the box down and goes over to the nearest mirror in the living room to look at himself. He rubs a hand up and down his goatee and Steve approaches him with the razor.

"What are you doing to be in disguise?" Tony asks and snatches the razor.

"I'm not shaving so I'll have a bit of extra hair." Steve calmly answers with a little smile. Tony's eyes went wide and he went closer to Steve to inspect his face. He shakes his head and laughs as he walks off. Tony headed up to his bathroom to prepare to shave his face. He got the shaving cream and put it on and just as he was going to put the razor to his face he stopped to look at himself. He hadn't shaved in ages; the last time he shaved was about a week before Pepper started working for him. However, if he had to shave his face in order to stop Loki and the Mandarin and keep Pepper out of harms way he would shave his whole head. He took the razor to his face and did what he had to do.

Tony downstairs with a backpack filled with some things they may need and when Steve and Jane saw him their jaws dropped. Tony looked very different to them without his goatee. Tony doesn't comment on their expression and continues to discuss their plan.

"Now, last night I was able to get us three tickets on a ship heading for Miami, but we do not interact on the ship." Tony says. Steve nods in agreement.

"We act as if we do not know each other." He adds. Jane picks up her back and goes through it again.

"Now we each have what we need and know the alarm word," She says. Tony and Steve nods. They agreed the alarm word would be Jarvis. "What are the chances of being found right off the bat?"

"As long as we avoid cameras we should be alright." Steve answers. The only thing left Tony had to do was create a program quickly in Jarvis to call Rhodey in three days and send a message asking to make sure Tony has a suit at the new Stark Tower. Once that was completed they locked up the house and headed out the back way, the same way they came in, and headed up the beach towards a small town.

* * *

Pepper woke the next morning by the movement inside her. Though it was too early for kicking, she could feel the baby turning inside of her and it was times like these where she wishes she could grab Tony's hand so he could feel. Sadly, he was not there. Pepper was sharing a room with Bruce and Betty and saw they were both still asleep. Wherever Tony was, she hoped he was safe and she hoped this whole thing would be brought to an end with everybody in one piece. She didn't want to think of having to raise their child alone. Betty moved a bit and moments later she opened her eyes. She smiled a bit when she saw Pepper and stretched out before sitting upright.

"You're up early," Betty observes. She sees Pepper has a hand on her stomach and she smiles again, "The little one wake you up?"

Pepper nods and watches Betty come and sit next to her. Pepper feels the baby move a bit and allows Betty to place her hand on and feel the movement.

"It's still hard to grasp the idea of something growing inside me." Pepper says softly as the movements fade. Betty smiles.

"That was incredible, when will kicking start?" she asks. Pepper was in her fourth month and she imagined around the end of the fifth month or in the middle. Bruce woke up a little while later and greeted the ladies.

"What is Fury's plan today?" Betty asks as Bruce stands. He shrugs.

"We have nine days until the opening so I would imagine he wants to "prep" us again because it went so well the last time."

Betty stands up and goes over to Bruce, "Well in Steve's defense he did have someone breaking into his mid. Shall we get coffee and tea?"

Pepper and Bruce nodded. Pepper slowly stood up and looked at herself briefly. She believed she expanding a little more each day. Not only can she not fully grasp the idea of being pregnant, but also that Tony is the father and that they were engaged. She never thought her life would turn out like this, but then again who could predict her working for the richest man in the world and falling in love with him with the same feelings coming from him?

* * *

Tony, Steve, and Jane reached the docks and they each went in a separate line to get their passports checked. Lucky for them, Tony had what they needed to forge passports (Steve didn't bother asking how he had some of the equipment he had) and printed fake names on the passports. Tony was the only problem because even shaved only a fool wouldn't recognize him on the passport photo. However, it was shear dumb luck that he got the fool as a passport checker at his booth. He went through and made sure to keep his hat down and face away from all cameras. He got onto the boat and went to his room. Ironically, Jane was placed across the hall from him. It was only Steve who was put on another level. The ride would only be under a daylong. Tony flipped on the TV and was flipping through channels when he saw him and Pepper's photo on one; he unmated to listen,

"Rumours are Andy that billionaire Tony Stark is expecting a child with Virginia Potts, who is also the co CEO of Stark Industries and was formally his assistant. These rumours started when the they were spotted in a maternity shop in New York moments before a rather large explosion." The new caster says. The woman sitting next to him replies,

"I have heard those exact rumours and that the two are engaged to be married. A very expensive ring was spotted on Miss. Potts's ring finger the very same day. Could we be seeing a new turning point in Tony Starks life?"

"Andy, I think the real question is whether or not Tony Stark can handle this life I mean can anybody honestly see him settling down and loving only one woman?"

Tony sighs and throws the remote onto the bed as he continues to listen.

"Jeff, I really find it hard to believe, but maybe he will surprise us all. I have not seen him with a single woman but Virginia Potts for quite some time now. If she has faith in him perhaps we all need faith."

Jeff laughs, "Yes well Virginia will not be able to stop the women who will still throw themselves at Stark. What is interesting they have not done a press conference."

Andy replies, "Yes, nobody has seen them since the explosion which is unusual. The country is anxiously waiting the opening of Stark Tower in Dallas seeing as how it is going to be the event of the year. Have you seen the guest list Jeff?" she asks. Jeff shakes his head and Andy pulls out a paper with names on it. "Besides Stark and Potts, the President and Vice president are attending, the directors of all major agencies, as well as several celebrities. There will also be a special performance by Beyonce…"

And with that Tony turns off the TV and goes into the bathroom. He then hears a knock at the door and waits to see if it is three knocks. When he hears the third knock he goes over and sees Steve and Jane outside. He opens it and they come in.

"So I guess not being seen together kind of backfired." Tony says. Steve ignores the comment and gets to the point.

"Jane believes we were followed."

Tony frowns, "How is it even possible!" he snaps. Steve and Jane have no idea, but Jane describes the man that was tailing her as she went through the passport line and followed her on the ship. Steve, went to check out the situation and found that the man's eyes glowed blue; classic mark of Loki.

"He must have been assigned to the house." Steve says. Tony looks at his clock in the room and they have a good chunk of time before they reach Miami. They discussed possible scenarios they could go. One was to corner the man and take him out before they reach land where there could be possible reinforcement waiting. Jane pulled out a kit from her bag and placed a fake, but lifelike, mustache on Tony that looked nothing like his former goatee. Tony then put on sunglasses and headed out of his room to take a look at what they were up against. He headed up the main deck and immediately he found the man Jane and Steve must be talking about. The man was not very nonchalant. Tony went to the bar and got a coke and the man was two seats away from him. On cue, Jane appeared on deck and was jogging through. The man nodded at someone and Tony then realized there was a second guy who went jogging after Jane. Steve who was watching from above noticed the man and acted quickly. There was a zip line leading to the lower deck right where Jane was headed. Steve cut a woman off and slid down with a perfect aim.

"Woah man I'm sorry." Steve says and picks up the man. As he does so, he injects something into the man's side. He then lets go and runs off with Jane. The man would pass out in a matter of seconds. While everyone was watching the "accident", Tony slipped the same stuff in the other bad guy's drink and ran off back to his room. As he reached the stairs he heard a clatter and a bunch of people screaming. The stuff must have worked.

* * *

"_Do you ever wonder how your life turned out like this?" Tony asks Pepper as they lay in bed with her draped over him. She is tracing patterns on his chest when he asks the question._

"_We both made choices. I chose to work for you and you chose to hire me." she answers. Tony smiles and replies,_

"_Well yes that was a choice, but I mean choosing to be my girlfriend."_

_Pepper moves a bit closer and rests her head on his shoulder. Tony pulls the covers over them when he feels her shiver._

"_You want my honest answer?" she asks. She feels him nod and so she continues. "I would never have become the old Tony Stark's girlfriend. The one who went to bars every night, lacked responsibility, womanizer, and playboy would never have a chance with me," she says. She sees a bit of hurt in his eyes and she quickly continues, "But the new Tony Stark, the one who proved to me in New Orleans the better man he could be easily made me weak at the knees."_

_And she then kisses his cheek. Tony smiles a bit and holds her tighter. They sat in silence for a bit and just listened to the sound of each other breathing. Tony was playing with a strand of hair that fell out of her messy bun and she continued to draw shapes on him with her finger._

"_So you weren't the least bit attracted to the old me?" he asks with a glint in his eyes. Pepper rolls her eyes and sits up to look down at him._

"_I said I would never be your girlfriend, but that didn't imply that I didn't feel a sense of attraction towards you." She says with a smile before leaning down to kiss him. He eagerly responded to the kiss. _

"_I'm in favour of the new me." he says breathlessly when they pull away. Pepper laughs and puts her head back on his shoulder._

"_What about you? Putting aside the playboy side of you did you have an attraction to me?"_

"_Oh absolutely," Tony answers very quickly. Pepper raises her eyebrows. "Well I what was there not to like? Organized, damn good at the job, well dressed, beautiful smile, and the perfect hair colour."_

"_But would the old Tony have ever considered settling down and considering me to be more than an assistant?" _

_Tony doesn't answer for a moment and it makes her pick up his head. He sighs, "I don't think I would, but it would be to protect you."_

_Pepper frowns, "Protect?"_

_Tony sits up a bit, but keeps his hold on her, "Pep, you saw what I was like before my kidnapping. You would have deserved so much more and I would have hurt you. I was a drunken womanizer with money, but I'm different now. All of that is in the past."_

_She nods and kisses his temple while running a hand through his hair. "I know." She whispers._

Tony awakens slowly with Pepper's words echoing in his head. He takes in his surroundings and sees he is still on the boat. He also sees it is scheduled to dock in an hour. He stood up and gathered the few belongings he had with him and waited until it was time to get off. He and Jane's level would exit first and then Steve's and they were sticking to the plan of going to separate passport booths. Tony knew he wouldn't luck out with getting another foolish person and since they were now in America he was playing a risky game.

"_Do you know?" he asks back and looks into her eyes to see the truth. Pepper leans forward to kiss him again and then pulls back and looks into his eyes._

"_I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe it." She says. Tony smiles and kisses her cheek. Pepper wraps her arms around him and smiles back. They sit like that for a while just holding each other and enjoying each other's company. Pepper knows there are things they should be doing with the business, but for once she was like Tony and didn't care today. _

"_Lizzy and Todd are trying to get pregnant." Pepper says softly after awhile. Tony looks at her and nods with a smile._

"_Good for them. Seems like they would be good parents and the baby would have an amazing aunt," He says with a hint of teasing. Pepper rolls her eyes and slaps his arm playfully. Tony wonders if Pepper would ever considering having a baby with him in the future. They never really talked about their future; they took each day at a time. He wouldn't be able to deny that they would make a great baby. He could see having a little girl with Pepper's looks, but would have his eyes or having a boy with his good looks and her eyes. Of course, he would want to marry Pepper first. He wanted to do everything right with her. However, if by any chance the order were reversed he would still want the same things. He loves her. "Do you want kids?"_

_Pepper didn't expect this question from him and was caught off guard. She hadn't mentioned Lizzy to have this conversation with him, but then again she didn't think he would ask._

"_I've never thought about it," she replies quietly. Tony rubs his hand up and down her arm as she speaks. "When I was younger I didn't think I would have time for a child."_

_Tony frowned. How would she not have time for a child? _

"_What do you mean?" he asks._

_Pepper sighs and gets out of his embrace to lie on her back. Tony props himself onto one elbow and looks down at her. _

_ "There is a reason I like the Devil Wears Prada so much," she starts off with. Tony thinks back and plays an abridged version in his head. "I wanted to be a journalist and travel the world following stories and I came to LA to try and start somewhere. Then human resources faxed me a job opening until my writing took off." _

_ "My job offer?" Tony asks. Pepper nods and continues,_

_ "Yes, like Andy in the movie with Miranda, if I could survive a year with you I could get a job anywhere."_

_ Tony thinks back over her first year with him and thinks it is remarkable she stayed, but now the thought of him being the reason she never became a journalist fills him with guilt. Her life would have been completely different._

_ "So why didn't you leave when you were done for a year?" _

_ Pepper gives a soft smile and reaches up to brush her hand across his cheek. _

_ "For several reasons, one it came to the point where we formed a trust relationship and you relied on me for pretty much everything, the pay was good, and there was also the matter of me not wanting to leave," She answers. Tony is very confused as to why she would want to stay with the old him. "After about four months with you and the anniversary of your parent's death I saw another side of you, one you didn't show people. You played the playboy role at night and sometimes-early morning, but when you weren't in that role… I don't know I liked being with that Tony. Do you remember when I broke up with Mark?"_

_ Tony rolls his eyes and mumbles, "That bastard." Pepper laughs softly._

_ "That day when I came into work with my eyes all red from crying, you cared. It was the first time I had seen you care about somebody else's feelings or problems. You listened to me for over an hour about him and then hugged me at the end and promised me I would find somebody better who would love you forever." _

_ Tony remembers that morning and it was very uncharacteristic like of him, but he didn't like seeing Pepper cry. He had grown to care for her over her first year more than any other assistant he had ever had and though he didn't always show it part of him felt a sense of protection towards her when it came to boyfriends. _

_ "Well I ended up being right, right?" he says with a cheeky grin. Pepper rolls her eyes and smiles with a nod. "See, you were too good for Mark and he wasn't man enough for you."_

_ Pepper sits up at his level and moves a bit closer. "And you know what a real man is?" she whispers seductively. Tony loves when she plays this game. He moves a bit closer, but doesn't touch her._

_ "I know what a woman like you needs." He whispers back. Pepper moves a bit closer and grazes her lips across his before moving to his ear._

_ "Prove it." _

Pepper wakes up and finds she had fallen asleep again. Betty was on her bed reading a book. She was a bit disappointed that she woke up; she loved when she relived some memories in dreams. Pepper didn't let Betty see she was awake; she preferred to be left alone for a while. Though she knows they are all trying to be nice, every hour someone asks her if she is okay and it is beginning to drive her crazy, even Fury asked at one point. She didn't know if it is because she is Tony's fiancé or that she is carrying his child, or both. More to the point, she was going to lose her mind soon. She knows Tony is fine and would want her to stay calm. She hears the door open and recognizes Thor's voice.

"We have found Stark." He whispers to Betty.

"Where?" she whispers back. Pepper sits up and Betty motions for Thor to turn.

"The police are chasing him, Rogers, and Jane in Miami." He says. Pepper immediately stands up and follows Thor to the control room with Betty behind her. They find the team watching the news and it appears to be a car chase.

"Stark ran into some trouble trying to get into the country with a fake passport," Maria explains to Pepper. Pepper sits beside Natasha at the table. "He was easily recognized even with his face shaved."

Pepper turned to Maria and then to the TV and sure enough a photo flashed on the TV of Tony and he in fact had shaved. She found it incredibly sexy, but knew she shouldn't be thinking of that at the moment.

"Agent Hill cut the Miami police radio system and make it impossible for them to communicate," Fury orders. Maria nods and heads over to her computer. "We'll help them as much as we can."

"Billionaire Tony Stark was caught trying to sneak into his own country under a fake alliance along with another man and woman. Suspicion immediately rose when he was caught with the mysterious woman and not his soon to be wife, who also has not been seen since the bombing in New York," the news reporter says. Pepper can feel eyes on her, but she keeps her eyes on the TV. "Miami Police are chasing after Stark and his company, but seem to be failing."

Clint muted the TV and looked at Pepper, who was still watching.

"You okay Miss. Potts?" he asks. It was the last straw and Pepper snaps. She stands up frowning and says,

"For the millionth time yes I am fine!"

She then walks off and heads back to her room leaving a shocked crowd behind her.

"What was that about?" Maria asks when she rejoins the group and sees Pepper storm off. Clint shrugs and Natasha replies,

"We're getting on her nerves."

Thor frowns, "How so? We are merely asking if she is of calm mind?" Natasha sighs and turns to Thor. Out of the whole group, she is the only one who hadn't continuously asked Pepper if she is okay.

"Yes but you are all asking every half an hour. She is probably worrying enough as it is, but add to the fact that you all keep reminding her when you ask if she is okay. Leave her be." Natasha snaps.

Pepper went back to her room to watch the news and splashed across it was "Tony Stark a bachelor again?" She sighed and listened as they smeared her's and Tony's name. She hated these news people the most out of all the channels. She has flashbacks to the night they conceived their child; it was passionate, hot, steamy love. She took the remote and turned it off. She knows the truth and so does Tony. That is what matters.

* * *

"Aim for the tires!" Steve yells as he drives up 95. Jane reaches for her bag and grabs a gun.

"I've never fired one of these before!" Jane yells back to Steve. Steve looks at Tony and Tony nods. Tony opens the sunroof and he and Jane go up. They both have their guns pointed at a police car.

"Just aim and shoot!" Tony yells.

"Where should I am?" Jane yells back. Tony aims his gun and shoots the front drive side tire and hits with one shot. The car spins out of control, but the driver regains enough control to pull over and stop. When this was all over, Tony would be making a very generous donation to the Florida State police. Jane copies Tony and hits after the third shot. Tony looks around and sees an exit coming up. He and Jane duck back down.

"Head for the next exit!" Tony orders. Steve frowns.

"That will take us towards Orlando I thought we were avoiding large cities." Steve replies as he maneuvers through the cars.

"We can blend in easier." Tony answers. A cop on a motorcycle then comes up along side the car with a gun. Jane takes a close look and watches as the guy takes off his glasses. His eyes are glowing blue.

"Tony!" she yells and points at the cop. Tony looks over and sees the eyes. Tony orders Jane to grab Captain America's shield from the back. Tony reclines the passenger side seat and positions the shield in front of Steve so he can't get shot. He then orders Steve to drive as close as he can to the cop. Steve frowns, but trusts Tony. Tony crawls into the back seats and Jane moves to shot gun. Tony opens the side door and ignores Jane and Steve yelling at him to close it. Tony looks ahead and sees on the right of the highway a lake is next to it. He grabs part of the door and starts to climb out. With a leap, Tony jumps onto the back of the motorcycle and grabs onto the guy. He quickly grabs the guy's firearm and tosses it into his car. Next, Tony puts on arm around the guys neck and the other restrains the guy's hands. In a matter of seconds the guy is knocked out and goes limp. Tony lets go and grabs control of the handles and goes to the far lane near the lake. Steve follows and makes sure he is right next to Tony. Tony turns the motorcycle full speed towards the lake and he knows he has to time this perfectly. He balances himself on the side of the bike and just as the bike hits the rail he jumps and is able to grab hold of the car. Jane helps him back in and shuts the door. Tony sees the bike go flying into the lake and lands with a giant splash.

"You crazy son of a bitch!" Steve yells as he takes an exit. Tony just shrugs and Steve takes the next exit.


	19. Assemble

A/N I want to apologize for not updating. Originally, I was going to go day by day until the Stark Tower Dallas opening, but I found it hard to come up with situations that were possible while staying true to the characters so I'm going right to the opening and I promise it will be good! Thank you for continuing to read and I hope you enjoy! – xxhiphuggersxx

Day of the Stark Tower Dallas Opening…

Pepper looked at herself in the mirror and bit her lip, as she looked herself up and down. She was wearing a long green maternity dress with a one and a half inch heals. Any person could clearly tell she was pregnant, but she didn't care anymore. The press already knew and they were still talking about how Tony was given a get out of jail free card for what happened in Florida. She knew he had a plan for tonight, but she was a little scared as to what it was. She had her hair up in a bun with strands coming down the side of her face. Her engagement ring was now on her finger and she had a necklace on that Tony had given her. All she wanted for this mess to be over and for him to be safe.

Natasha broke her train of thought. Natasha was dressed in a women's black suit with her battle attire on underneath. She and Thor would be her bodyguards for when she arrived at the event. Clint and Bruce landed early and went through a back door to set up for anything Tony and Steve may need.

"You look nice," Natasha comments. Pepper smiles, but it fades. "We will win Virginia."

Pepper turns and looks at her, "How can you know that? Nobody knows what will happen just like New York."

"This isn't going to be like New York," Natasha says and sits down. "In New York we had no idea what we were facing. This time we know and aren't blindsided."

Pepper sat as well, but a bit away from Natasha. She was looking at her ring and twisting it on her finger. Her worst fear was he dying and leaving them; their child would be fatherless.

"We will be late." Pepper finally says and stands up. Natasha sighs as she watches her walk away.

* * *

Pepper watches all the cars go by as they drive on the highway. She knows most of them are SHIELD cars undercover to protect her. In the car with her is Betty, Natasha, and Thor."

"This is all so much to protect me." she says. Thor looks at her and shakes his head.

"It is not just you we are protecting." He says. Pepper closes her eyes and leans her head back with a hand going over her abdomen. The sound of Clint's voice startles her and she picks her head up.

"I've found him," Clint says and Natasha can tell he is smiling. "Code titanium"

Pepper lets out a breath of relief.

"We will roger that." Natasha says says.

* * *

Clint managed to get in the backdoor of the tower unseen with Bruce and they head up a back staircase, which is where Pepper said it would be exactly. Clint looks at Bruce and Bruce looks at him. They both nod and shake each other's hands before separating. Clint fires an arrow straight up to get him to the level he needs. The arrow attaches to something and Clint begins to go up. He reaches his floor and when he hears a noise he pulls an arrow and aims, but lowers it when he sees it is Tony. Clint shakes his head.

"You son of a bitch." Clint says and shakes Tony's hand.

"How is Pepper?" he asks. Clint knows he cannot lie to Tony so he tells the truth.

"She is scared, but being brave," He answers and hands Tony an ear com. Tony puts it in. "I've found him. Code titanium."

"We will roger that." Natasha says back.

* * *

Bruce is heading for the basement when he hears in his COM,

"I've found him," and recognizes it as Clint's voice. However, he doesn't know which him it is. "Code titanium."

"We will roger that." Natasha says.

Bruce finds the door he needs and looks around. It is the extension garage for Tony's cars and VIP cars. He sees the security office and heads right there quickly. He gets onto the computer with no hassle and begins to work his magic.

* * *

Fury headed into the building a different way and followed Pepper's directions to the dot. It took him to the level just before the roof where he found a room full of equipment. Pepper says it was part of Tony's shop. He hears someone in the room and takes out his gun to look around. He lows it when he sees Steve in his uniform and using some machine. Steve stands up and looks at Fury just as he hears the faint sound of Clint's voice.

"I've found him. Code titanium."

"We will roger that."

"Sir." Steve says with a straight posture. Fury nods and tosses him an ear COM. Steve immediately puts it in.

"We have less than one hour before guests begin arriving; an hour and a half until the President arrives," Fury says. Steve nods. "I've found America."

* * *

Maria is climbing the stairs with her gun as she heads for her level. She finds it and heads for Tony's office.

"Maria?" she hears and she quickly turns with her gun pointed at where the sound came from. She lowers it when she sees Jane.

"You changed your hair." Maria says. Jane smiles as she approaches her. Maria hands her an ear COM.

"How is Thor?"

Maria continued to walk with Jane by her side, "Fine once he figured out you weren't dead," she says to him and then into her COM, "I've got lightning's better half. Code name Weather."

Thor relaxes and smiles when he hears Maria is with Jane. Pepper gives a smile as well. For the moment, everyone was safe.

"Everybody has COMS now, I want everyone check in with your code name." Fury orders.

"Titanium."

"America."

"Scientist."

"Eagle."

"Lightning."

"Salt."

"Green."

"Weather."

"Spider."

"Horizon."

"Who is horizon?" Tony asks with confusion.

"Hill," Fury answers. "Everybody is in position?"

"We are about four miles from the tower." Natasha answers.

"Banner status report." Fury orders.

"You know those aren't really code names I mean America? Come on." Tony pipes up.

"Shut up Stark." Steve says and Tony knows Steve rolled his eyes. He also heard Bruce laugh a bit.

"He has a point, but anyways I'm almost done."

From Tony's position he can see the main lobby and the staff preparing to open the doors soon. The press cars were also beginning to pull up. He takes a deep breath.

"If anything seems fishy or you see Loki or the Mandarin you call the signal," Fury continues. "Barton, your eyes are on the president and his surroundings the whole time when he arrives."

"You don't even use the code name so why did we have to check in with them?"

"Tony!" Pepper sighs. Tony loves hearing her voice again.

"Roger that." Clint says as he prepares his bows.

"Any last words before we continue?" Fury says. Nobody speaks and Fury doesn't expect anybody to until Steve says,

"Assemble."

* * *

When Pepper's car pulls up she sees many people have already arrived and the press knows this is her car. Thor gets out first. He is dressed nice in a suit, but with his powers can assemble his armour at any time. His hammer was not far and would be available within seconds of him needing it. Betty got out next. She was in a nice red dress with her hair down. Natasha got out next and then helped Pepper. The press immediately went at her, but Thor stepped in front of them.

"How far along are you?"

"When is the wedding?"

"Where is Mr. Stark now?"

"Have you two split?"

"Are the rumours true it could be twins?"

"The lady will not be taking your questions." Thor says and she takes his arm. Betty is on her other side with Natasha behind them watching the crowd. Pepper poses for a couple pictures before entering the lobby. It looks beautiful, but she doubts it will look this way for very long. She spots Rhodey in the crowd and smiles. Rhodey approaches, but Thor quickly stands in the way before he reaches her.

"It's okay, Rhodey is a friend." Pepper says with a smile. Rhodey looks at the size of Thor and then back at Pepper.

"Where is Tony? I have two things he wanted."

Pepper frowns, but she doesn't have time to speak because in her COM she hears Clint say,

"Natasha your two o'clock."

Natasha and Thor look in that direction and see a man whose eyes are glowing blue.

"Pepper, what is going on? I have two of Tony's…" Rhodey tries to say, but Natasha cuts him off.

"He has a weapon in his right pocket. Miss. Potts please stand on the other side of me."

Pepper moves over and a hand goes around her abdomen as a reflex to protect her child.

"Hey you're Tony's assistant after Pepper went to CEO." Rhodey says, but Natasha ignores him.

"Eagle, America, these men are all over the place, but no sign of the target." She says. Rhodey frowns,

"What is going on? What target? Pepper what the hell is this? Who are these people?"

Thor and Natasha move closer to Pepper to protect her. Pepper was going to answer Rhodey when everybody started clapping. Pepper turned and saw that the President and First Lady had arrived early and were now entering the building. Natasha quickly reported it to everyone else. The President saw Pepper and smiled. Pepper returned the smile and Thor had to move a bit as the President made his way over.

"Good evening Miss. Potts or should I say the future Mrs. Stark." He says with kindness as he shakes her hand and the Pepper shakes the First Lady's.

"May I ask where the man of the evening is?" the First Lady asks. Pepper smiles and answers,

"I'm afraid he has just run off to the restroom, but he should be back soon."

The three of them make conversation for a while. Pepper also introduces Rhodey and Betty to the president. As they do so, Natasha continues her scan of the room.

"Any sign of Loki?" Steve asks.

"Negative." Both Thor and Natasha answers.

"The Mandarin?"

"Negative."

"Give it time, I'm sure he will show." Steve says.

"Stark, location?" Fury asks. No answer. "Stark?"

Pepper is listening in and is nervous when she doesn't hear Tony respond. Suddenly she hears a voice she does not want to here tonight.

"Virginia!"

Pepper turns and sees her parents, sister, Todd, and Jake walking towards them She gasps and excuses herself from the President. Thor is hot on her tail and Rhodey behind him leaving Natasha and Betty together.

"Mum, dad what on earth are you all doing here?" she asks with worry in her voice. William frowned,

"Tony didn't tell you? He emailed us tickets two nights ago. He wanted it to be a surprise."

She could kill Tony for not telling her or for not remembering he invited them.

"Tony where the hell are you!" she says almost crying into her COM and turns to Thor.

"He is not responding."

William and Rebecca frown as does Pepper's siblings and Todd.

"What is going on Virginia?" Lizzy asks. Rhodey steps in,

"That is what I was trying to ask! Why does he need two suits here tonight?"

Natasha and Betty rush over and Natasha grabs hold of Pepper.

"What are you doing?" Jake says sneering.

"Tony and Bruce are not responding. Fury wants you out of here now while we still have the chance…" Natasha begins but she is too late. The doors slam shut and people start screaming. Secret service men from the outside try to get in, but it is useless.

"Thor now!" Natasha yells. Thor is about to respond when people begin rushing away from the main stage in the lobby. Thor turns to Natasha and Pepper.

"Stay with her!" Thor says and points Pepper before running through the crowd and towards the stage. Pepper hands go to where her baby is and tears are coming down her face. This was a huge mistake. Jake approaches her.

"What is happening?" he asks softly.

Pepper has no time to answer before there an enormous flash of blue light and everyone is knocked to the ground. Jake manages to grab hold of Pepper so she lands easier on him than the floor.

* * *

Thor slowly rises and looks around him. He sees everyone on the ground and some standing up. People began screaming and he turned to the stage and his eyes widened. Loki was standing there with an even larger scepter than last time and a pure black cape.

"Loki!" He yells and moves his arms out a bit. Like magic, his black suit begins to fade off and white smoke surrounds him. When the smoke clears he is in his armour. He raises his arm into the air. In a matter of seconds, the sound of glass crashing is heard and the hammer flies straight into his hand. Loki just laughs.

"You fools!" Loki yells and it silences everyone. "Did you honestly believe that after New York your precious world would be forever safe?"

"Do not do this again Loki. Stop this bleeding!" Thor yells out. Loki looks off into the distance and sees Natasha standing in her uniform now. He smiles.

"Remove all the red in your ledger yet?" he yells at her and then looks to her feet. He sees Pepper with her brother and Rhodey around her. "I have evolved you dull creatures; to a magic beyond even this demi god's control!"

"This is not a game Loki!" Natasha yells. Loki looks back over at her. "Put down your scepter and surrender before you regret it."

Loki laughs and smiles, "I believe it is the… oh what do you call your little team? The Avengers? Haha yes they will be the ones to regret. After tonight, this precious world as you all know it will be no more."

"Are we back to the damn ant and boot?" a voice says. All heads turn and see Fury approaching.

"Natasha," Pepper whispers. She looks down and sees Pepper motion for her to step forward. She frowns. Pepper has now remembered where she has seen the bracelet on Rhodey and knows he will be surprised in a moment. Natasha moves to the centre where Thor and Fury are.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here are three examples of people who say they will protect you when in fact they put you in danger here tonight just to capture me!" Loki yells. There is then a loud laugh that follows, but it is not his. It echoes throughout the building.

"Including the President of the United States!" the loud voice says.

"Why don't you show your face Mandarin!" Natasha yells.

"No need for him to." Loki says.

"He is using you as your puppet," Natasha says and steps forwards towards the stage. "He is only using you to get to the President and believes he will win this way."

Loki smiles and sighs, "Still trying to get into my head. Look what good it did you? The beast erupted anyways. Speaking of my giant green friend, is he a no show tonight?"

Before Thor, Fury, or Natasha could answer the loud voice of the Mandarin spoke, "Do not be a fool Loki. They are all here, including Mr. Stark."

Loki smiles, "Oh I know. What is even more saddening is that Mr. Stark left his pregnant fiancé alone."

"She has us and he is here," Natasha sneers. "He would never leave her."

Loki smiles and lifts his scepter a bit. Pepper's eyes widen. She along with most around her has stood up. She was in Loki's clear line of vision.

"Should we test it then?" he asks and before any of them could react Loki fires his scepter towards Pepper. People scream and Pepper expects to be hit when a figure jumps down from the floor above and lands in front of her to block the hit. Loki shakes his head.

"The soldier," Loki sneers. Captain America is standing there with his shield in front of him and Pepper. "I thought you were pushed over the edge and fallen into the abyss."

Steve shrugged, "If I can survive being frozen for seventy years I can survive the ocean."

"So let's do a head count now," Fury sneers at Loki and Loki turns to Fury. "We four against you and a booming voice."

Loki laughed, "Oh you are indeed naïve. Dare you doubt me now?"

"I find that the best way to do things is to constantly move forward and to never doubt anything." Another voice says. Loki turns and laughs to see Bruce in human form.

"So calm!" Loki yells. "Ladies and gentlemen the face of the beast!"

"So is this the beginning of your show? Introductions and then the plot thickens?" Bruce calmly asks. "You expect us all to appear one by one and when you have us all right where you want us you attack. We do not dare doubt you or the army the Mandarin has waiting for us outside about a block away. How you got more of your alien friends here I do not know nor do I care at the moment. You believe me to be the greatest threat here and I see your point, but if I recall someone once said this to you, 'There is no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top.' So even if I were to destroy every object it would still all fall on you… because if we can't protect the earth you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."

Loki gave a sneering look to Bruce and moved on the stage towards his side until he was in the exact center of the stage. Loki raises his scepter and as he is about to fire there is a sudden smash and crash sound and Loki goes flying straight up and smacks his head on the wall. He falls in pain and groans. He looks up and sees Iron Man standing there. He had come through the bottom stage where he was originally going to make his entrance had the evening been bad guy free. Suddenly, Loki finds himself being lifted by Iron Man by the neck.

"My turn," Tony says. Loki smiles and gives half a laugh as he tries to breathe. "You made a big mistake."

"And what might that have been?" Loki chokes out. Tony holds him a bit higher.

"You tried to kill my family." He says and then throws Loki across the room and smashes him into the stage. Loki holds his hand out for the scepter to come (like the hammer for Thor) and the scepter comes flying to him, but an arrow is shot and hits the ground. Loki looks to see Hawkeye coming down and intercepts his scepter. Hawkeye lands next to Thor and hands the scepter to Thor.

"Didn't see that one did you?" Fury asks. Loki just smiles. The scepter in Thor's hand turns bright red and Thor drops it.

"Damn thing is hot!" Thor yells and looks at the deep third degree marks now on Thor's hands.

"That is why brother," Loki says and holds his hand out. The scepter goes right to him. "I wear gloves."

Loki holds the scepter up and red bolts shoot out of it and straight up to the skyline windows and break the glass. People scream as the glass falls.

"Jarvis," Tony says and looks towards Rhodey and Pepper. "Activate War Machine."

* * *

Pepper looks down at Rhodey's bracelet and sees it is beginning to beep. Rhodey sees as well and his eyes go wide. Moments later another suit comes crashing in and begins to assemble around Rhodey. While the others handle Loki (or try to) Tony rushes over to Rhodey. He lifts the mask from his suit to talk to Rhodey face to face.

"Hey!" Tony yells above the screaming to Rhodey. Rhodey looks at him. "You keep her safe or I swear to God I will kill you! She isn't like the damn car you crashed she is my world. One scratch on her or my kid and you're in trouble."

Rhodey put his helmet down and nodded. Tony goes to Pepper and pulls her close to kiss her passionately.

"I love you." Pepper says. Tony smiles and lowers his mask.

"I know."


	20. Immortal Tune

Betty grabbed hold of Pepper's arm as Pepper watches Tony fly off to help.

"Come, we have to get you and your family to the bunker!" she says. Pepper nods and turns to her family who all look scared. Rhodey ordered everyone to follow him as they made an escape through a back door. Once they were all on the other side Rhodey wrapped a piece of metal around the lock so it would be hard to break in. He led them down several flights of stairs until they were underground. Betty saw the door and punched in the code. Inside the bunker were four beds, a fridge, laptop, a couple of chairs, and a toilet with a curtain. Rhodey closed the door behind them all and sealed it.

"Under Fury and Tony's orders we do not open it for anybody unless it is one of the avengers." Betty tells Rhodey. Rhodey takes his helmet off.

"I take orders from Tony, not Fury." He says. Pepper moved to a bed and sat down. Rebecca rushed over and sat next to her.

"Why the hell would he put you in danger?" Williams says angrily and sits next to Pepper on the other side.

"It was to protect me and I agreed so don't you dare put all of the blame on him!" Pepper snaps. William's gaze does not lighten. "If I were to have been some place else besides here they would have gone after me there and nobody would be there to protect me. I'm safer here. I just wish he told me he invited you and I wish he didn't do it two days ago when he knew about this."

Rhodey coughed and everyone looked at him. "That is my doing. He asked me about a month ago to make sure they were on the list since I said I would help with invites and I forgot. I got the official guest list two days ago and saw they weren't on there so I sent the email inviting them."

William rolled his eyes and stood up. Betty was looking at the computer when she noticed a note on it.

"Hey Pepper," she says and brings the laptop over to her. Pepper frowns and watches Betty. "There is a note here that says for you to watch a video on here."

Pepper follows Betty over to a desk and Pepper sits while Betty sets it up. Everyone else gathers around her. Pepper hit play and saw Tony's face appear. He was in his new office upstairs.

"Hey Pep… I umm I wanted to make this video for you because there are some things I have to tell you and after tonight who knows if I will get the chance," he says. Pepper's eyes begin to water. "You and I both know I'm not one for mushy gushy romance stuff, but I need to tell you how much I love you. Before I was kidnapped, I was an asshole, playboy, cocky, and hard to put up with. I knew you were different when you lasted a week because you were the first to last a week," he says with a little laugh and she smiles a bit. "I'm glad you lasted and I'm glad I went to New Orleans with you. There had always been this void in my heart ever since I lost my parents and I realized in New Orleans that you filled it. Even after New Orleans and the Expo, which again I am really really sorry about," he says and Pepper laughs with a tear coming down her cheek. "I knew you were the one I wanted to spend my life with. I mean come on who else will help me with my social security number?"

Pepper gave another small laugh and smiled. Jake frowned and turned to Lizzy.

"He doesn't know that?" he whispers and Lizzy elbows him in the stomach and continues to listen

"And now you are carrying our child. I never believed I would become a father. That night we conceived him will be forever in my head and heart," he says and smiles a bit as he thinks back. Pepper blushes and smiles too. "I thought of suggestions for names and I hope if I'm not around you take it into consideration. For a boy, William Coulson Stark in remembrance of Phil and your father. If it is a girl Maria Rebecca Stark. I know your mum would love that and I know mine would have. I wish you could have met my parents," he says and laughs to himself. He sits back a little bit. "My mum would tell me you are too good for me and she would be right. Then my dad would treat you like his own daughter and make just as many salt and pepper jokes as I do. I thought of god parents and I know you are surprised I have thought of this!"

Pepper laughs and Rhodey does, too.

"I'm even surprised." Rhodey says and Pepper nods in agreement.

"I was hoping you would agree for Steve and Natasha to be their god parents. You're probably surprised I said Steve and I am myself, but he is a good man. I've seen that these past few days. Plus, our child would be safe all the time!"

Pepper laughs and then in the background she can hear Jane's voice calling him. He sighs and looks back at the computer.

"That's my cue," he says and stands up. "Now, if I do survive this remind me to take you to Shawarma! Always great after a battle like this. I love you and I will die loving you."

And with that the camera shuts off. Pepper breaks down into tears and Rebecca pulls her to her feet so she can hug her daughter.

"He'll be okay sweetheart." Rebecca whispers into her ear and rubs her back. Pepper and everyone in the room are silently praying everyone lives.

* * *

A/N: Thought this would be a nice bonus chapter before we get back fighting!


	21. Chapter 21

He can't feel any part of him; his whole body is limp. His head feels like it has been drugged correction drugged to the point of overdose. He wants to open his eyes, but he can't. He can hear voices in the distant, but can't make out words.

"Tony…" a person whispers. Tony finds the strength and opens his eyes expecting to see either Pepper or Rhodey, but is shocked at who he is looking at.

"Mum?" he says.

Maria Stark smiles at him and runs a hand through his hair. Tony slowly turns his head to look around, but all he sees is white surrounding him as if he were floating in clouds. With Maria's help, he is able to sit up. He looks down and sees he is in his favourite pair of jeans and his MIT shirt. The last time he looked at himself he was in his suit about to fight the Mandarin. Suddenly panic sweeps through his mind and he looks at his mother.

"Am I dead?"

Maria smiles and shakes her head, "Not yet, you still have some time to decide."

Decide? Tony slowly stands up and looks around. What was there to decided? He didn't want to die.

"Where am I?"

Maria looks around and then at her son, "Where do you think you are?"

Tony shakes his head. Typical his mother would answer with a question. Even in spirit she is just as she was when she was alive.

"If I'm not dead then it can't be heaven," Maria shrugs. Tony studies her to see if he can get any reaction, but nothing. "Why am I here? What happened? Did we win the battle?"

Maria smiled and began to walk away. Tony frowned and ran to catch up with her. She found a white bench and sat down. Tony sat beside her. Tony sees she is wearing the outfit she wore the day she died; her favourite pink blouse with black business pants and heels.

"I can only tell you oh so much, but what I can say is that you've won."

"The battle?" He asks to make sure he understands correctly, but she doesn't clarify. Instead she jumps topics.

"I always feared you would never find someone to settle down with. Even before your father's death and mine you were a playboy. Sadly, I must take some of the blame for that."

Tony shook his head and took her hand, "No, I made my own choices. Some being bad. None of that is your fault."

Maria gave a small sad smile and shook her head; "I should have paid more attention to you when you were little. It was my job to make sure you were raised properly and I failed," Tony didn't know what to say because he knew she would argue back. "I should have kept you away from all the alcohol and drugs. I should have kept you at home and go to college at eighteen like everybody else not graduate it then."

"I chose to go when MIT asked and you and dad agreed it would be best."

A tear slides down her face when he mentions his father.

"Your father and I made many mistakes when raising you because we had so many mistakes between us. Don't misunderstand me I loved your father, but being his wife was not easy."

Tony nods, "I know."

Maria brings a hand up to his face and cups his cheek with a smile. "And now my baby is having a baby."

Tony blushed a little and looked away, "If I can go back."

Maria sniffed and Tony looked back at her. "Do you want to go back?" she asks.

"Of course!" Tony answers right away earning a look from his mother to not shout. "Sorry, but I can't die yet. I can't leave Pepper."

Maria smiles when he mentions Pepper. "That girl is too good for you."

Tony smiles and laughs a bit, "I told her that is what you would say." Maria smiles at him. Her hand then goes to his chest and she can feel the arc reactor through his shirt.

"I know you have a heart underneath this metal. Even in your playboy years I knew part of me was still in you and alcohol didn't completely take over your mind."

"I haven't had more than a glass since Afghanistan." He says firmly. Maria raises her eyebrows.

"Oh? Do I need to remind you of the night you conceived your baby?"

Tony goes red and Maria laughs. "I wasn't drunk. Pepper was definitely, but I wasn't."

Maria is still laughing and shakes her head. "Are you sure about that? You may want to ask her about that night," Tony frowns and goes to reply when his mother stands up. "I know I'm not the one you want answers from."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't be daft son." A voice from behind says. Tony turns and sees his father standing there in his favourite suit.

"He isn't daft Howard, just stubborn," Maria answers. Tony looks at her. "If you want answers honey, best ask them quickly. You're time is almost up. I love you baby and tell Virginia 'thank you'".

Tony stands up to go to his mother, but when he reaches her she had already faded away. Tony sighed and put his hand out to where his mother was.

"She'll never be gone son," Howard Stark says. Tony turns and looks at him. "She lives in your heart now."

Tony's jaw tightened. "Since when did you become philosophical?"

Howard sighs and sits down on the bench. "You heard your mother your time is limited. Do you really want to spend it like this?" Tony sits next to his father and just looks at him. "You're scared at becoming a father."

Tony shrugs. "Natural."

Howard sighs, "Don't give me that bullshit. You've already said it to Virginia, you're scared of making the mistakes I made with you."

Tony shakes his head, "No I promised her I wouldn't make the same mistakes."

"I said the same thing to your mother about my grandfather, but look what happened. It comes with the territory of being a billionaire. My father said the same thing to my mother."

Tony stood up and clenched his fist. "That doesn't mean I will fail Pepper."

Howard stood up as well, "No it means mistakes run in our blood. What makes you any different from the rest of us? From the rest of humanity?"

"You want to lecture me on humanity?" Tony snaps. "This coming from the man who built weapons for a living? The same weapons I saw kill innocent Americans?"

"I made a living and money to raise you and support your mother. Don't you dare complain about the luxuries you've had in your life."

"If you hadn't built a company on weapons…" Tony began.

"You never would have met Virginia. You would never have met James. You have what you have because of my mistakes. Tell me, can you imagine your life without Virginia?"

Tony unclenched his fist, but his jaw remained clenched. "No."

Howard sighed and sat down, but Tony remained standing. "I know you blame me for many things that have happened in your life. Do I regret being a shit of a father? Yes. Do I regret building my company? No. If I could go back and change some things would I? I would have treated your mother better. It's a miracle she stayed with me just like Virginia has. I can't give you the answers you're looking for son because the answers you want lie within you."

"Shit is an understatement," Tony says coolly. "You abandoned me and left me to fend for myself. I would never abandon a child and I won't with mine."

Howard sighs. "Whether you forgive me or not is your choice. I cannot take back what I've done, but I stand by what I said. My greatest creation is you, just like your son."

Tony's eyes snapped into the direction of his father, but he was gone. If he heard correctly, his father just said his baby is a boy. Tony sat down on the bench. He didn't know what would happen next.


	22. The Traitor

**AN/ Sorry for the delay in battle but I wanted to see Iron Man Three before posting the battle to see what the battle was like in the movie so warning there are some spoilers for the movie in this so if you haven't watched it I A.) suggest you go see it right now, like right now and B.) Do you and me a favour and not read this until you've seen it.**

* * *

There are people trapped in the building, including the President, people screaming, and the Avengers stood in the middle facing Loki. Tony had his arm raised in ready to fire with Barton next to him. Bruce hadn't suited up yet and Tony was beginning to wonder why.

"Where is the Mandarin?" Fury demanded. Loki shrugged.

"I've sent him off I know not where unfortunately," Loki responds in a fake sad voice. Suddenly there are crashes through the windows behind Loki and several people come up behind him only these people were not normal; they were glowing orange as if the inside of them were on fire. There are crashes all around and Tony looked to see there were about twenty total.

"We have to get these people out." Steve whispered to Natasha and she nodded. If these people could break through the glass than the Hulk must be able to. Natasha turned and looked at Bruce. Their eyes met and he knew it was time. He heard screaming coming from where the President was and saw the secret service was being taken down quickly by these orange people. Bruce ran and within a single jump he went to man and Hulk. Everyone turned and saw and some even screamed.

"HULK! SMASH!" He yelled and threw his fists into the ground sending waves of energy through the building knocking down every person and smashing every window in the building. People began running out screaming. The team turned to look at Loki, but he was gone; only the orange people remain. Fury took his gun out and shot one in the chest. Fury's eyes went wide when he saw the wound heal itself in a matter of seconds.

"Why are people turning into damn colours?" Fury snaps with his gun drawn and ready.

"Who the hell are these people…." Natasha says. Tony suddenly flashed back thirteen years ago and remembered an experiment with plants that looked very much like these people do.

"They're mutated we need to split up!" Tony said. "Barton get to the top for a birds eye view!"

Barton fired an arrow up and grabbed hold of Fury and brought them both up. Moments later two of the men jumped and went after them. Tony fired at them, but it didn't work; Clint and Fury would have company. The Hulk seemed to find his own battle and was currently protecting the President and his wife. Steve and Thor went one way while Tony and Natasha headed outside in search of Loki. Tony spotted him and they raced over, but he got into a car and drove off with more of those men. Tony and Natasha were about to following when one of them men stepped in front of them and exploded. The blast threw Natasha and Tony into nearby cars. Tony's head smacked head first into pavement and knocked him out while Natasha hit the windshield and fell on top of him.

"Stark come on get up," Natasha says and she quickly got up because she was unharmed. When Tony didn't respond she knew something was wrong. "Tony wake up!" she screamed and then put her finger to her COM, "Stark is down and…" she began when something fired at her. She turned to see two of Loki's aliens ready for a fight. "And in battle zone Thor I need your help moving him now!" Natasha said and then ran to the aliens. She fired her gun at one and that one went down quickly. She took his weapon and continued to fight the other one. "Come on Stark!"

* * *

The bunker that Rhodey, Betty, Pepper and her family were in was silent. Pepper had to lay down on the bed to relax and reduce her heart rate since it was going too fast for a pregnant woman to have. Her mother sat next to her and held her hand while Pepper's other hand was on her stomach. They couldn't hear anything from the outside and it was scaring Pepper. She didn't know what was worse; hearing a battle or not.

Meanwhile Rhodey could hear the battle since he was connected to Tony's suite, but he didn't say anything to Pepper. Rhodey heard Natasha yelling at Tony and then Rhodey put his mask down to figure out what was going on. Whatever Tony had hit after the explosion had knocked him out.

"Jarvis is Tony responding?" Rhodey asks. Pepper lifts her head and looks at Rhodey.

"It appears Mr. Stark is non response however it seems his vitals are all regular. I am attempting to awaken him as we speak."

Pepper sat up and Rhodey lifted his mask, "What is going on Rhodey? What's happened?"

Rhodey debated whether or not he should tell Pepper what happened because he didn't want her heart race going off the charts again. However, he knew it would if he didn't tell her.

"The Rushman girl and Tony were in an explosion. She is fine, but it knocked Tony out and he isn't responding. Jarvis says his vitals are all stable and he is trying to awaken him."

Pepper felt the tears in her eyes and Rebecca hugged her. "He'll be okay." She whispered.

* * *

Thor crash landed next to Natasha and threw the alien across the street.

"Is he still non responsive?" Thor asks as they quickly move next to Tony. Natasha nods.

"It's been twenty minutes now."

Thor thinks back to when he and Tony fought the first time they met and remembered the lightening gave him more power in the suit.

"Stand back." Thor orders Natasha. He raises his hammer to the sky and clouds begin to form. Lightening meets his hammer and then Thor points it at Tony.

Inside the suit, Jarvis powers up every part of the suit with Thor's lightening. Suddenly Tony's eyes fly open and he yells as his flight stabilizers go off and send him into the sky. He finds his balance and lands on his feet.

"Don't you dare go to the land of the dead yet Stark!" Natasha screams at him.

Tony wasn't listening to her though. All he could hear were his father's words ringing in his head, _"My greatest creation is you, just like your son…"_

"Stark!" Thor yells because he has yet to answer them. For all they knew the suit could have acted on its own. Tony lifts his mask so they can see his face.

"I'm having a boy…" is all he managed to say. Thor and Natasha frowned.

"What?" Natasha questions with the frown still present. A grin grew on Tony's face, but he didn't look at them. He put his mask back down.

"Rhodey talk to me." he says.

"Tony thank goodness!" Rhodey responds and he turns to Pepper. "He's okay."

Pepper let out a breath of relief and then her mother made her lay back down. "What is it?"

Tony smiled, "Tell Pepper it's a boy."

Rhodey frowns, but tells Pepper. She too frowns at what Tony means. Her brain then quickly connected it to her pregnancy. "How can he possibly know that right now?"

Rhodey asks Tony.

"My dad told me now listen, on that computer I need you both to get onto the main server and look up Aldrich Killian."

Pepper sat up and walked over to Rhodey so Tony could hear her, "Killian?"

"You know him?" Tony questions. "Ex boyfriend? Please say no."

Pepper rolled her eyes and nodded, "God no he was never, but he wanted to be and it wasn't until I started working for you that he backed off. He is a nut job, but smart."

Tony let out a breath of relief and then fired at an alien about to attack. As he fought, he casually talked to Rhodey and Pepper, "I think it's him behind all of this, but I don't know how he got the complete mutation… equation."

Pepper went over to the computer and began typing away. Rhodey could hear the battle and part of him wanted to be there with him, but he also knew that Tony would kill him if he left Pepper alone. Just as Pepper got into the main frame someone slammed her computer down. Rhodey grabbed Pepper and pulled her back.

"You…" Pepper says in almost a sneer. Everybody now had their eyes on one person; Todd. Jake made sure Lizzy and Betty was behind him while William did the same with Rebecca. Todd gave a small smirk and Pepper could see orange veins going up the side of his neck and into his eyes.

"Rhodey what is going on?" Pepper hears Tony ask.

"Trouble." Rhodey answers.

"After all this time…" Pepper says and Todd just shrugs.

"You people are so naïve thinking this has only been happening for one year… no this has been going on for thirteen years," Todd says. Rhodey backed him and Pepper away from Todd, but he only moved closer. "My boss wanted to know the best way to get to Tony Stark so why not go after the one woman he can't live without? And how do you go about doing that? Infiltrate her family; become apart of it and then just wait it out."

"I trusted you!" Lizzy screamed with tears rolling down her face and she made her move towards Todd, but Jake held her back. "I loved you! All of this has just been a lie then?"

The expression on Todd's face changed when he looked at Lizzy, "You wouldn't believe me even if I said part of it wasn't. I really did love you, but this is the destiny of society. This is what must happen."

Rhodey put his helmet down and a gun turned to Todd. Todd shook his head.

"Give me Pepper and nobody else will get hurt."

"Over my cold dead body." Rhodey says back right away.

Todd gave a glare, "Well that is the idea."


	23. Chapter 23

IRONMAN THREE SPOLIERS SO IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT DON'T READ THIS YET!

* * *

Rhodey had every single one of his weapons drawn and pointed at Todd. Pepper was hoping Tony was coming or even the Hulk would be nice right now.

"It isn't Pepper we want." Todd said coolly. Rhodey frowned, but didn't move an inch.

"Then why do you want her?" he asks. The thought quickly hits Pepper and she gasps while putting both her hands on her stomach. Rhodey realized it as well. "That will happen when hell freezes over and God steps on land."

Todd went to make a move when Lizzy pushed her brother away and moved towards Todd. Todd turned and met her eyes. Lizzy saw the orange in his and orange traveling in his veins.

"If you want me to believe you ever had feelings for me you won't hurt Ginny."

Todd's eyes never left Lizzy's. For a moment, Pepper thought he would let them go and not harm her, however her thoughts were broken when Rhodey quickly grabbed Pepper just as the door behind them was smashed down. Jake grabbed Lizzy and the door hit Todd and sent him flying into the wall. It was as if Pepper's prayers were answered.

The Hulk stomped over to Todd and grabbed him by the throat, "You no hurt Pepper," He grunted. Todd's whole body suddenly turned very orange and it looked like he was on fire, but it didn't hurt the Hulk. He simply threw him out the door. After, he turned to Pepper and Rhodey and Betty, who were now standing with Pepper. "Baby safe now." Is all he said before storming after Todd. As the Hulk disappeared Fury and Maria appeared.

"We are getting all of you out of here. War Machine, you're needed out there."

Rhodey shook his head and then raised his mask, "I don't take orders from you. Until this is finished I'm not leaving Pepper and her family unprotected."

For a moment Fury had a stare down with Rhodey before he gave up. Maria had her gun drawn as they exited the bunker.

"Where are you taking us?" William asked Fury. Before Fury could answer Maria fired shots down a hallway. "No where seems safe!"

However, Tony had lied about how many bunkers there were or he just didn't know there was another one near the one they were in before. This time Maria stayed with them and Fury sealed it. It looked just like the other one only with two beds instead of one. Pepper's back was beginning to hurt her so she laid down. Her mother and Lizzy sat beside her. As Pepper lifted her shirt to get a bit comfortable on the mattress Lizzy gasped.

"Ginny! When did you get a tattoo?"

Pepper groaned. Out of all the times Lizzy could have mentioned it she had to at this very moment when there was a battle going on around them and the fact that their parents are in the room.

"You have a what?" William snapped. Pepper looked at her mother, who was frowning and her mother said,

"Well? What is it?"

Pepper was going to answer when Betty and Maria stepped in,

"Excuse me, but is this really the appropriate time to be asking this?" Maria snapped. William snapped his head around and looked at Maria.

"It's not like we are going anywhere."

Pepper sighed and turned her left him a little bit and lifted her shirt. Jake burst out laughing when he saw the look on their father's face. Lizzy giggled a bit. Pepper had the Stark Industries logo tattooed on her left hip.

"Seriously?" her mother scolded. Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Don't start now is not the time and besides Jake has tattoos and you don't scold him so don't start with me."

Jake finally stopped laughing, but was still smiling.

"Yeah, but mine isn't marking me as someone else's. Is he at least getting one with your name or something?"

Pepper rolled her eyes and sat up, "I am not discussing this right now!" she yells.

Betty moved Lizzy aside and sat next to Pepper,

"You have to stay calm and not let your blood pressure rise. It isn't good for the baby or you." She says calmly. Pepper takes a deep breath and lays back. She lets a tear slip from her eye and she turns away from everyone while silently praying he survives.

* * *

The battle continued to rage on and on. The Hulk, Thor, and Ironman were taking on the Mandarin's army while Romanoff, Hawkeye, and Captain took on the aliens they had fought before. At least this time there were limited numbers and no portal opening into the sky. However, they all knew they must locate Loki and the Mandarin, which was currently the task of Fury and Jane in the tower.

"The aliens seem to be coming from an abandoned warehouse within three blocks from here." Jane says as she goes through CCTV. Fury goes over to another computer and Jarvis allows him into what Jane is doing.

"I bet that is where Loki is," Fury says and turns on his com. "I've believe we've located Loki, does anybody copy?"

Romanoff stabs an alien and Hawkeye fires an arrow at one that is about to attack Captain America.

"This is Agent Romanoff, I copy give me coordinates." She says as she fights off another alien. Jane repeated the coordinates to Romanoff, Captain America, and Hawkeye. When they finished the cluster in their area, Romanoff high jacked a truck and the three of them got in. Romanoff raced down the streets and hit a couple of orange glowing people along the way.

* * *

Meanwhile, five blocks away, closer to the tower, Ironman, the Hulk, and Thor fought the orange glowing mutated people, which proved to be a challenge. The Hulk's skin was resistant to the heat of the mutated therefore it was easy for him. As for Thor and Ironman it proved to be much more of a struggle. Thor was about to throw his hammer at one when it turned bright orange and began to grow as if it were about to explode.

"Get down!" Thor yelled and tackled Ironman away from the man while the Hulk threw himself on top of the man to prevent any more damage. However, the explosion sent him flying into a building, unharmed of course, but it showed even the Hulk couldn't contain the blasts. Thor got off of Ironman and they stood up.

"There is no stopping them," Thor said in his loud voice. "They just mutate back whatever we do to harm them."

Ironman nodded and looked around. At the moment there were no near them, but based on Jarvis's readings and cameras more were coming.

"Quickly, think," Ironman said to Thor. "The only way for them to disappear is if they…" he said and trailed, which Thor finished.

"Explode!"

"Jarvis, how many more out there?"

"In total sir I count twenty outdoors, but there seems to be a significant number in a building not far from here. Shall I have Director Fury look into it?"

"Do it," Ironman ordered just as he saw more approaching them. Thor looked around for the Hulk, but he was nowhere to be found. Ironman then had an idea, "Thor you got the lightening, light the bastards up."

Thor smiled and raised his hammer in the air. Storm clouds began forming above them. However, to hit more of them he would need to be higher up. He spun his hammer and flew up to the side of a building and attracted the lightening to his hammer and then pointed it towards the mutated people.

"We need to contain the blasts!" Thor yelled. Ironman looked and saw the lightening was in fact working and leading them to the points of explosion. If they all exploded together it would take out everything within a two-block radius. Before he had time to think, seven cars were thrown down on top of the men just as they exploded. Ironman was knocked to his feet due to the impact of the explosion. When the smoke cleared, he saw the Hulk standing in the middle of where the explosion was with the remains of a large tow truck used to carry more than seven cars. Thor landed back next to Ironman,

"Seven down, thirteen more to go."

* * *

Romanoff parked a couple yards away from the warehouse, which seemed to have nobody outside of it. The three of them exchanged looks before ducking into an alleyway.

"This is too quiet." Hawkeye says. Romanoff looks up and sees a fire escape.

"Call it Captain," she whispers. He nods,

"Romanoff head up the fire escape and find the rooftop entrance, Barton and I will climb through the second floor window. Code word is…" he said and trailed. Romanoff and Hawkeye looked at each other puzzled until Hawkeye said,

"Crap?"

Captain America looked at him. "Code word crap it is."

With the help of the Shield, Romanoff reached the ladder and began climbing up the building while Captain America and Hawkeye went in through the window. As they entered something occurred to Hawkeye. Perhaps it was to quiet because they knew they were coming. The room they entered was dark. Hawkeye raised his arrow, one that explodes.

"I would lower your arrow." A low voice says and a light goes on. Captain America and Hawkeye look around to see mutated orange people and one main in a white suit surround them.

"Killian." Hawkeye says coolly. Captain America looks at Hawkeye in surprise.

"You're the Mandarin," Captain America says with a bit of shock. "The other man was a…"

"Actor," Killian finished. "Yes well where would the fun be if you all knew it was me?"

"Crap." Hawkeye says. On the roof, Romanoff hears the code word and pauses before she enters. Suddenly, something very hot grabs her arm and she cries out in pain. She kicks her leg back, but it is no use. With her free hand, she reaches for her belt and pulls out one of Stark's old weapons and stabs the person behind her. The hot hand lets go of her and she turns around. She gasps at who it is.

"You're part of Pepper's family!" she says to Todd. Todd laughs, but Romanoff knows the laughter won't last long. The knife she stabbed him with would detonate in a matter of seconds. She ran for cover and just made it as the knife exploded, which set off Todd's explosion, and caused the roof to cave in on itself.

Back inside, the men heard the explosion and Killian frowned. The building began to shake and Captain America and Hawkeye looked at each other. Before anybody could react the ceiling collapsed and sent them all to the ground and through the floor to the ground level. On the roof, Romanoff managed to grab hold of a part of the roof that had not yet collapsed. The blast caused the every ceiling to cave until it hit the ground. She prayed Hawkeye and Captain America were okay. She looked down and saw Captain America moving a piece of ceiling off of him and stand up. He looked up and saw Romanoff. Then he looked and saw Hawkeye struggling to get up. He quickly went over and helped him up. Romanoff looked and saw one of the mutated humans struggle and he seemed to get bigger in size.

"He's going to explode!" Romanoff yelled. Captain America and Hawkeye quickly ran out of the mess and hit the deck. The man exploded and caused the rest of the ceiling to collapse. Captain America and Hawkeye managed to get far enough away and the shield protected them from the blast. Romanoff jumped from the roof as the explosion went off and landed on the fire escape. She quickly climbed down to rejoin the other guys.

"These things just don't die!" Hawkeye snapped. "My arrows are useless."

"Killian is still under there." Captain America says as they look at what is left of the building.

"Dead or alive is the question." Romanoff adds with a quick response from Hawkeye,

"Do these things die? Or do they all have to blow up to vanish?"

Nobody responded and they just stood there looking at the building waiting for some sign of life to come out, but nothing and nobody did. They turn their backs and head back for the truck and as they did so, they missed the arm coming up and out of the rubbish.

* * *

AN/ I would just like to say if RDJ is not in the Avengers 2 or they replace him I am done watching Marvel movies. He is not a James Bond character! If Iron Man 4 (if made) doesn't have RDJ or Gwyneth Paltrow in it I refuse to watch it.


	24. Chapter 24

AN/ I apologize for not updating recently, but here is an update. Also, FYI I saw the magazine that said Paltrow is most hated, I really doubt that they just want drama. So she has a different lifestyle… big deal! Just because one magazine ranked her as that doesn't change my opinion and for anybody who likes her in Iron Man or any other movie shouldn't change their opinion just because some magazine made a "list". Great example for children by the way that it is okay to rank who you hate in the world.

* * *

Natasha, Captain America, and Hawkeye walked back to the tower to find the area around it trashed with the other Avengers in the middle of it.

"We got them all, except Loki and the Mandarin." Thor says to them.

"We destroyed a building with many of those… people in it as well." Natasha says.

"The question is where is Loki and the Mandarin." Captain America states.

"Good question,"

The team turns to see Fury coming towards them. "The president is safe as is Ms. Potts and her family."

"We cannot give up the hunt." Captain America says firmly to Fury and the team. As the team talks, Ironman turns his head and sees orange in his sight. He sets off his flight power and makes sure his weapons are ready. He lands in front of the man and the man laughs.

"Tony Stark, come to face me alone. If only you came that night on the rooftop. We might not even be in this mess." Killian said. Tony lifts his mask.

"Where is Loki?"

Killian laughs. "Loki? He isn't even on this planet anymore. After his speech his role was done."

Tony narrows his eyes, "So you were just using him."

Killian smiles, "Of course he was more than willing to help. He did what he wanted and now is off in some other realm."

Tony flipped his mask back on and got into the fighting position. Killian began to turn orange.

"This ends here."

* * *

Pepper was getting impatient. They hadn't heard anything from anyone in a long time. After about another hour the doors open and Steve walks in with Natasha. Pepper immediately gets up.

"Is it over?" Rhodey asks. Natasha nods and then looks at Pepper.

"Pepper," she says carefully. Pepper suddenly can't breathe and her eyes are watering. "Tony killed Killian, but in the process he was thrown into a building at a very high speed because of an explosion. He is being rushed to the hospital with a head injury right now."

Pepper breaks down in tears and her father holds her close. He and her mother usher Pepper out and they immediately find a car with Rhodey to rush to the hospital. Betty found Jane in the lobby with Clint and Bruce (in the process of returning normal) and stayed behind. Maria drove Jake and Lizzy to the hospital.

It had been over six hours now that the Potts family, the Avengers, Maria, Fury, Jane, and Betty had been sitting in the emergency room waiting for news on Tony. Rhodey held Pepper in his arms as they waited. Bruce tried to use his position as a doctor to get information, but the hospital wasn't letting out any information.

"Honey, you need to eat. If not for your sake then the baby's." Rebecca says to her daughter as she holds a sandwich out for her. Pepper takes the sandwich and eats it without one word. She hadn't spoken in six hours. As the seventh hour approached, a doctor came out.

"Virginia Potts?" he calls out. Pepper, her parents, Fury, and Rhodey immediately stand up and go to the doctor.

"Please tell me he is alive." Pepper cries. The doctor nods,

"Mr. Stark received a very severe blow to the back of the head, however in time it will fully heal."

Pepper let out a breath of relief and hugged her dad.

"Wonderful!" Rebecca cries.

"However," the doctor says and turns to look at them. Pepper turns back to face him. "He woke about an hour ago and we ran some tests. When Mr. Stark awoke he yelled out the name, Yinsen, does that mean anything to you?"

Rhodey and Pepper nod, but Rhodey answers, "He was trapped in a cave with a man by that name."

The doctor sighs, "Ms. Potts, I'm afraid your fiancé is suffering from memory loss. In his mind he is still in Afghanistan or was shall I say, and is now in recovery from it."

Pepper's heart dropped and she cried. Rhodey held her close.

"So, he won't know who we are." Steve says. Everyone had eventually crowded around the doctor.

"He won't remember Iron Man." Fury states. Pepper loses it.

"Oh shut up! That is not the problem! I could care less if he doesn't remember any of you! He doesn't remember… he doesn't remember the family he has become a part of," Pepper cries. "He doesn't remember our relationship and more importantly he doesn't remember…"

She can't even finish the sentence, but her hands go over her stomach.

"I hope that in time he will remember Ms. Potts," the doctor says. "But you must let it come back to him on his own."

"And if he never remembers?" William asks.

"Only time will tell Mr. Potts. Now, I suggest only Ms. Potts and Rhoads visit him since he only remembers them."

* * *

Pepper and Rhodey walk down the hall together. Rhodey looks in the room and sees Tony is awake, but he is staring into space. Rhodey carefully opens the door and steps in. Tony turns his head slightly and smiles. As Rhodey and Pepper walked down the hall, they agreed Rhodey would go in first. They also agreed to go against the doctor's orders and tell Tony Pepper is pregnant with his child so they isn't any doubt in his mind that would prevent Tony from remembering their relationship.

"How was the fun v?" Rhodey teases. Tony smiles.

"Shut up."

Rhodey pulls up a chair and sits beside the bed. "How do you feel?"

"Like I have the worst hangover in the world." Tony mumbles. Rhodey laughs. Tony then frowns,

"Where is Pepper? The doctor said she is here."

Rhodey takes a deep breath. The doctor said Tony is aware of his memory loss. "What do you remember about her?"

Tony, still frowning, immediately answers, "She is my PA, best friend, yeah sorry pal…. Ummm are you looking for specifics?"

Rhodey shakes his head, "Look, she is outside the door waiting for me to get her. She is very much different right now and it will come as a shock to you when you see her, but please promise me you will not over think anything… just let her talk to you and you'll see that you have no worry to doubt anything."

Tony frowns, but agrees. Rhodey stands to get Pepper. Tony smiles when he hears her voice outside. The smile fades to shock when Pepper walks in. He meets her eyes for a moment, but they both know what he is focusing on. The fact that she was pregnant.

* * *

AN/ I wanted to get past the fighting and focus more on their relationship, hope nobody minds! He will eventually have flashbacks so you'll see parts of the fight between Iron Man and Killian.


	25. Please Don't Take My Sunshine Away

AN/ You're all lucky because I'm posting another chapter tonight. It won't be long, but I'll have another long chapter soon.

* * *

Tony couldn't take his eyes off of Pepper and her form. He wanted to panic; the thought of her having a baby with someone else besides him broke his heart. However, he remembered what Rhodey said and stayed calm. Pepper sat in the seat the Rhodey was sitting in moments before. She gave a small smile,

"How do you feel?" she asks softly. Tony meets her eyes and sees she hasn't slept in awhile.

"I've been better," He answers. He doesn't joke around like he did with Rhodey. He looks up to look at Rhodey, but he sees he has gone. "So… what have I missed?"

Pepper made a thinking face, "A lot, but I can't tell you. The doctor told me you have to remember on your own."

Tony sighs and looks away, "I guess I should say congrats to you and your boyfriend. You must be very happy."

Pepper's heart breaks as she sees the hurt in him.

"I am and the father is just as happy."

Tony bites his lip, "He's a lucky man."

"I know you are."

Tony frowns and turns his head a little fast and looks at Pepper. For a moment he is dizzy for moving too quickly. Once it is gone, his eyes are wide.

"You mean…. I'm the… the father?" he stutters. Pepper nods.

"Rhodey and I decided that you should know even though the doctors don't want us telling you much," she explains. "I didn't want an imaginary man to come between us."

She says the last part softly and looks at her hands. Her words ring out in his ears, "between us". So there was an "us". Tony looked at her stomach again. He slowly lifts his hand and meets Pepper's eyes.

"May I?" he asks. He looks as if he is frightened she'll say no. Pepper stands and lifts her shirt so he can put his hand on their baby. His hand grazes it before he places it completely on. His eyes are wide as he does this, as if he can't believe it is his child. The baby kicks his hand and a small smile forms on his face. Pepper returns the smile as he removes his hand and she puts her shirt back down. She retakes her seat and feels a little more relaxed that he didn't flip out at the news.

"What do you remember?" she asks. Tony rests his head back and looks at the ceiling.

"I was in a cave, with a man named Yinsen. These… terrorists… they wanted me to build a Jericho missile," he begins and tries to remember more. "And then I get bits and pieces of myself flying… into this like… hole…"

"Well, that is what you told me when," Pepper begins when she stops. A hole? She frowns, "What hole?"

Tony shrugs, "I don't know, but it was weird. Stuff was coming out of it. I assumed the terrorists set of the missile and it was missiles falling."

Pepper realized he was confusing two different memories; he was confusing Afghanistan with New York.

"Pepper?"

Pepper breaks out of her train of thought and realizes she hadn't said anything in a while.

"Sorry, I was thinking."

Tony nods and they are quiet again. Tony needed to break the silence before he went nuts.

"So, when are you due?"

Pepper smiles as she answers, the topic always makes her smile. "We're due in three months."

Tony smiles and notices how she said we rather than just herself. Part of him wondered why he was so calm about this, but somehow he felt he already knew this. Of course, at one point he knew, but he couldn't remember. He remembers his first day in the cave. It was day he made a mental list of the things he wished he did. The top one was he wished he told Pepper how much he loves her. Obviously, things worked out for him he just didn't know how.

"And the doctor said I should remember eventually?"

Pepper sighs and subconsciously takes his hand in hers. He notices, but doesn't say anything. He also notices her eyes begin to water.

"He hopes, but there is no guarantee."

Tony sees a tear slip down her face, "Hey, don't cry Pep," he says and squeezes her hand. "It's you and me I'm bound to remember how you got stuck with me."

Pepper lets out a laugh as she cries, "I'm sorry. I'm just scared."

Tony frowns, "Why are you scared? You're the one that remembers."

Pepper wipes her eyes with her hand and Tony spots the ring. He assumes it is him or so he hopes.

"I'm scared you'll never remember and go back to your old ways," she says quietly. "I'm scared you'll only remember the way you loved how you could pick up any girl and take her to bed or how you loved to get hammered and you'll want nothing to do with me or a baby."

Tony lifts his blanket and she crawls in next to him and carefully rests her head on his shoulder. He holds her as close as he can without moving his head too much.

* * *

When the doctor and William walk in later to check on them they find Pepper and Tony fast asleep. It was the first time the doctor had seen Tony relaxed since he came in and he didn't look to be in any pain. William could see that Pepper had been crying, but the way Tony held her to him reassured him that Tony calmed her down. William, for a moment, flashed back to moments when he first met Tony in New Orleans…

"_Did you use a new shampoo, Pepper?"_

"_Pepper?! Who in the sam hell is Pepper?"_

"_It's me daddy, and yes Tony I used a new coconut one this morning."_

"_I like it"_

"_Woah, hold on Todd did you just touch strawberries with bare hands? Okay do me a favour and give your hands a good wash before you touch anything else. Pepper is allergic to strawberries."_

"_Not bad…"_

"_You know what? Your opinion of me means absolutely nothing to me. The only person whose opinion means something to me is the girl you just sent off crying… My regret was never telling Pepper how much I lover her… I love her more than anything… and I will never stop fighting to win her heart."_

"I wonder how much she told him," the doctor whispers. William shrugged. "Part of me wants to scold her, but they look so peaceful."

William nods in agreement. They leave them alone and the doctor tells the nurses to let Pepper stay.

* * *

Pepper awoke in the middle of the night and saw she was in Tony's arms. He was carefully hugging her. Pepper carefully ran a hand through his hair,

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…" she began to quietly sing. When he had nightmares she would hold him close and quietly sing as he fell back asleep. Tony was too out of it to remember though.

"You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away,"

What she didn't know was that Tony had woken up a little bit, but not fully. He could hear her singing, but his mind didn't process him being awake.

"You'll never know dear, how much I love you…." She cried softly. "Please don't take my sunshine away…"


	26. Chapter 26

Pepper awoke in the early morning to Tony tightening his grip on her. He was sweating and he looked to be in pain. Not physical pain, but the pain you get from a dream.

"Baby…." He muttered. "No…. take me…."

Pepper shook his shoulder.

"Tony, Tony wake up!" she says. However it was no use. The machine behind them started going off and moments later two nurses entered to try and calm him. Pepper tried to remove herself, but Tony wouldn't let her go. The doctor rushed in just as Tony's eyes flew open. He looked as if he had no idea where he was.

"Mr. Stark you need to let go of Ms. Potts." The doctor ordered. Tony's eyes were focusing on anything until they met Pepper's eyes.

"I couldn't save him… I'm sorry." Tony said with tears in his eyes.

"Save who?" she whispers. She began to tear up when she saw tears come out of his eyes.

"I let our son die," he cried and that is when Pepper began to cry. "I couldn't save Will."

Pepper looked for his hand and once she found it she put it on her stomach.

"Shh, Tony it was only a nightmare," she soothed him while she let up on the tears. "He's still safe inside me."

Tony felt a kick against his hand and that is when his heart rate began to decrease from the high point it was at and eventually the machine stopped beeping out of control. Tony soon passed back out with his face buried in the side of Pepper's neck. While he was out, the doctor checked to be sure Tony hadn't damaged his wound more on his head. Once he found everything to be okay he quietly left Pepper and Tony. Pepper kissed his forehead and soothed his hair out. He had remembered the boy name they wanted to give their baby, at least that was a start. For all she knows he could have remembered more, but she would have to wait until he woke up again.

* * *

When Tony woke up he found he was alone. He panicked until he heard the toilet flush. He slowly turned his head and saw Pepper coming out of the bathroom. She was dressed in different clothing than last night. She smiled when she saw he was awake.

"Hey sleepyhead." She says and kisses him lightly before sitting on the edge of the bed. Tony just looked at her. He still couldn't fully believe they were together. He was waiting to wake up from this dream and have it all be taken away from him.

"What time is it?" he asks. Pepper looks at the clock and replies,

"Quarter to three."

She observes him and based on his expression and body language he doesn't remember what happened earlier this morning. She sighs and it catches Tony's attention.

"What is it?"

Pepper looks away, "You don't remember what happened this morning, do you?"

Tony frowns and thinks back. His eyes go wide, "Wait did we…. Ya know?"

Pepper gives a chuckle, "No we didn't." she answers and swore she hears him say "Damn."

"What time did you get up?" he asks. Pepper shrugs.

"I think it was around nine. The baby was getting hungry," she answers. Tony looks away and Pepper frowns. "Is something wrong?"

"Besides the fact I have a dent in my head," he snaps. Pepper, hurt by his response, gets off the bed slowly. Tony sighs, "I'm sorry. I just… it's still hard for me to believe this is all real."

"Real?" she questions. He nods slowly.

"Us, I'm afraid I'll wake up or this is all some big practical joke. The Pepper I remember would never be caught dead with me on a date let alone have a baby with."

Pepper sits back down on the bed.

"The person you remember being I would never, but you've changed after Afghanistan."

"I wish I could remember that Tony." Tony says with a sigh. Pepper lightly brushes her hand over his.

"You will," She says softly. Tony grabs her hand before it gets too far away from him. "Someone is here to see you. The doctor thinks that if you see a face it may bring back some memories."

Tony nods as a sign for her to let him or her in. When she opens the door, a man with a black eye patch walks in. Tony frowns,

"Why do I suddenly want donuts?" he questions loud enough for the other two to hear. Fury rolls his eyes,

"Sir, I'm gunna have to ask you to exit the donut."

Tony frowns, "I'm sorry I don't want to get off on the wrong foot do I look at the patch or the eye?"

Fury laughs and Pepper shoots Tony a look.

"It's alright, he said the same thing to me when he was hung over and eating donuts."

Pepper sighs, "Maybe I should leave you two alone…" she begins when Tony grabs her hand. She turns and looks in his eyes. She saw the confusion and panic in his eyes. Pepper and Rhodey were the only people he remembered. He wasn't ready to face the new members of his life alone yet. Pepper turned back and lay back down next to him. If she was going to stay she needed to give her back a break. Fury didn't seem to mind.

"How's the head?" Fury asks. Tony shrugs.

"I've been better."

Fury observes Tony before reaching into his coat and pulling out a photo. He hands it to Tony. Tony looks at the man on the photo and his mind begins to race.

"_Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea; in heroes"_

Tony's heart rate begins to increase until Pepper began running her hand up and down his arm. Once it returned to normal she stopped.

"He's dead." Tony says. Pepper's eyes widen as do Fury's.

"You remember him?" Pepper asks quietly. Tony shakes his head.

"I just remember he is dead."

"At least that's a start." Fury says. Tony frowns,

"What that I only remember those who are dead like this guy and Yinsen? Why not show me a picture of the fucking living that way maybe I can make some damn connection!" Tony yells at Fury. He sits up as if he wants to stand up. Pepper puts a hand to his chest to settle him back down, but Tony brushes her off. "What is your goal here? What are you FBI? CIA? What the hell makes you think I want to remember the dead before the living?"

"Tony I…." Fury says and uses his first name, but Tony doesn't let him finish.

"Whoever you are I don't want to have anything to do with you or whatever agency you're working for! I don't want to remember people who have died!" Tony yells and pulls the wires off of himself. His heart rate sky rocks and a doctor rushes in to hold him down. Pepper gets up and moves out of the way.

"I want everybody out now." The doctor orders. Fury and Pepper move to leave when Pepper feels Tony grab her. She turns and sees anger in his eyes, but also sadness.

"The only person I want to try and remember is her," Tony growls at Fury and ignores the doctor yelling at him. "So get the hell out of here until I call you back."

Fury quickly leaves and once he is gone, Tony wraps himself around Pepper and Pepper holds him close while whispering calm words to him. Eventually she and the doctor get him back into bed and he falls asleep with his head on Pepper. She hums him to sleep and when the doctor is gone she lets a tear or two go while praying to God to help Tony.


	27. Wrath of the Potts Women

Pepper is humming quietly as she flips through a magazine Rhodey dropped off for her along with several other items. Today the doctors would be examining Tony to see if he is stable to go home and recover there rather than in a hospital. Right now he was currently resting his head carefully on Pepper's chest and was fast asleep. Pepper knew if he got out of here she would need to be at his side constantly since she is the only one he fully trusts and wants at the moment. She already told her assistant to cancel and reschedule whatever she has booked for the next two weeks.

She lifted her head when she heard the door open and saw her mother standing there. Pepper motioned for her to come in. Rebecca closed the door quietly and went to sit in a chair next to the bed where Pepper was.

"How is Lizzy doing?" Pepper whispers. Rebecca sighs.

"She's a mess. Jake and your father have been with her the past couple of days," Pepper wanted to go check on Lizzy in person, but she was afraid to leave Tony alone. It was as if Rebecca could read her mind, "She understands you have to be here right now, with him."

Pepper gives a small nod and looks down at Tony. He's wrapped himself around her with his head on her chest and a hand on her stomach. Pepper lightly runs her hand through some of his hair. Rebecca wonders if she should leave the two of them alone. She sees how much love is in her daughter's eyes as she looks over Tony.

"Hopefully he will be able to leave soon and then I'm taking him home." Pepper says to her mother. Rebecca is curious as to what home.

"The tower?"

Pepper shakes her head, "No, he needs to be away from all of that for a while. We both do."

A thought occurs to Rebecca, "Why don't you and Tony come stay with me and your father for a while? Lizzy is staying with Jake in New York for a while so the both of you have plenty of space. It may help him recall some memories, too."

Pepper debated the idea in her head and she had to admit it didn't sound like a bad idea. Her parents lived in a remote part of Louisiana and there was a gate on her street so the press wouldn't be allowed in. Pepper nods,

"I will see how he feels about that when he wakes up."

It was as if Tony could sense he needed to wake up because moments after Pepper says that he begins to stir. His eyes open and for a moment he is foggy until he blinks a couple of times. He kisses her chest and inhaled her scent. Pepper blushes and Rebecca smiles at her blush.

"You smell good." Tony mumbles. Pepper giggles because it is her mother's perfume he is smelling. It's when he begins to kiss her neck and become intimate she decides she needs to tell him her mother is in the room.

"It's my mother's perfume you're smelling." she says with a small laugh. Tony frowns and looks up to see Rebecca sitting there. He observes her and stares for a moment. He suddenly remembers her pushing him towards Pepper while she was singing. Then he realizes he has been staring for quite some time.

"Do you remember me?" Rebecca asks. Tony nods slowly and Pepper's face lights up in a grin.

"You pushed me towards Pepper while she was singing once."

Rebecca smiles and nods, "Well someone had to give you a nudge to go dance with her."

Before Tony could answer, the doctor came in with another doctor Tony hadn't had before, but he seemed familiar.

Pepper's eyes widened when she saw Bruce walk in dressed as doctor. She looked at Tony, who had a puzzled look on his face, but didn't say anything.

"Okay Mr. Stark let's have a look," the other doctor says. Pepper gets up and sits down next to her mother while the doctor and Bruce look at Tony. "Have you remembered anything or anyone else yet?"

"I remember Rebecca." Tony says. Pepper and Rebecca smile because neither of them had told Tony Rebecca's name. Pepper only called her mother. The doctors look over at the Potts women, who are smiling.

"What do you remember about her?" Bruce asks. "Is it a specific memory or just the idea of her?"

"I don't remember where we were, but I remember Pepper was singing and Rebecca pushed me to dance with Pepper while she sang." Tony replies with a frown on his face as he looks at Bruce. There is something about him that seems familiar, but he can't pin it.

"That gives us hope Mr. Stark," the other doctor says with a smile. "Now we are going to move down the hall for further examination. Unfortunately, Miss. Potts must wait outside the door or in here seeing as how the area is for patients and doctors only."

Pepper gives Tony a kiss goodbye before he leaves with the doctor, but Bruce says behind. Pepper frowns at him,

"What is Fury up to?" she asks and crosses her arms. Bruce sighs,

"He wants us all to blend in with Tony's surroundings to see if he just looks at us without introduction and remembers. Natasha's the nurse helping the doctor right now."

Rebecca comes and stands next to Pepper, "He should not be trying to force memories to come back like that." Pepper nods in agreement.

"Where is Fury now?"

"In a conference room two halls down." Bruce answers. Pepper and Rebecca brush past Bruce and head for the conference room.

"I'm coming with you," Rebecca says despite Pepper's protest. "You and I know Tony wouldn't want you arguing and getting stressed out. I will do the yelling."

They find the conference room and find Fury in there having a meeting about Tony with everyone minus Natasha and Bruce. Fury looks up at the Potts women.

"I've had enough Fury," Pepper says angrily. "I don't like how you are playing games with Tony's head and it needs to stop now."

Fury stands and remains calm. "We have unfinished business with the previous events and the quicker he can remember the quicker everything will be resolved. Now, when he leaves the hospital tomorrow we will bring him..."

"Oh no no no." Pepper says when her mother puts a hand on her shoulder.

"You are going to listen to me now," Rebecca spats at Fury. "I don't care who you are or what secret government agency you are working for. I am taking my daughter and son in law home with me and my husband where he will have a proper recovery period. Be like the old lady who fell out of the wagon. Leave my family alone."

Maria stands up next to Fury, "With all due respect ladies..."

Pepper shakes her head, "If I see one SHIELD member near us or following us I will be filing a lawsuit against you. We have the best team of lawyers in the country so do not think because you are an agency I will not fight you. Period."

And with that, the women exit the room leaving Fury speechless.

* * *

The next day, Tony is packed up and ready to leave the hospital. The doctor gave him and Pepper the number and address of a doctor down in Louisiana they can see if there are any problems. Tony met and remembered William last night after his check up. He remembered him driving a boat on the Mississippi River. Happy had brought over suitcases of Pepper and Tony's stuff and was helping William and Rebecca load everything into the car while Tony and Pepper took care of paperwork. The police cleared the entrance of press so Tony and Pepper could get into the car. Tony wore a baseball cap and sunglasses when they went outside. They quickly entered the car and said goodbye to Happy, who would fly down in a couple of days to protect Tony and the family from press. William started up the car and pulled out of the hospital parking lot. Pepper held Tony's hand as he watched them leave the city and get onto the highway. He liked the idea of going somewhere just with Pepper and her parents.

"Your father and I are going to take turns driving so we don't have to stop at a hotel and risk the possibility of press." Rebecca informs Pepper and Tony. Pepper was going to respond when the baby gave a rather hard kick. She whimpered a little and it caught Tony's attention.

"I'm fine, just a kick," she replies. Tony moves his hand to where hers was and smiles. "Your son's already acting like you." she mumbles. Tony's eyes go wide.

"We're having a boy!" he says happily. Pepper bites her tongue and nods. She didn't know for sure, but she couldn't tell him how she knew since he was the one who told her. She turns and looks at him and he seems lost in space.

"William Coulson," he says quietly. Pepper's eyes go wide and she grabs both of his hands. The car is dead silent while they all listen to see if he says anything else. "That's his name."

Pepper kisses him and laughs quietly with a tear running down her face. Tony assumes he must be right. She had faith, faith he would remember it all in time.

* * *

I'm sorry I have not updated I have had computer problems and my original chapter got deleted so I had to rewrite this!


	28. Chapter 28

AN: I'm going to talk about age differences between Pepper and her siblings and I can't remember or find if I ever did mention how far apart they are in age so if I did I apologize if I say something different in this chapter.

* * *

When Tony woke up it was because Pepper nudged him awake. It was about eight at night. He opened his eyes and first saw her and then saw the house behind her. It did look familiar and he knew he'd been here before. He and Pepper got out of the car and William was kind enough to bring their bags inside. Tony looked around the living room and the kitchen area while Pepper talked with her mom about living arrangements. Tony eventually went and helped William move his and Pepper's things into Pepper's room. Tony sat on Pepper's bed for a moment and tried to recover bits of memories he has with this place. Pepper then came in and saw him pondering.

"My parents have gone out to get us some take out for tonight." she says and sits next to him. He frowns. Her voice.

"Pep, you told me you grew up in Louisiana, right?" he asks. Pepper nods and frowns at his confusion. "You don't have a southern accent like your parents."

Pepper takes in a deep breath and shuts her bedroom door before speaking,

"I knew one day you would ask that," she says with a sigh. She moves up the bed to rest against the backboard. Tony moves to sit next to her. He feels the mood in the air change. "My sister is two years apart from my brother and two years apart from me making me four apart from Jake. My dad... he was an alcoholic when we were little and I did hear him once tell a buddy that I was an accident. Anyways, when I was two my mother filed for a divorce from my dad because the alcoholism was so bad that he hit Lizzy when he was drunk,"

Tony saw Pepper's eyes begin to tear up and so he took her hand.

"My mother didn't feel safe and she was concerned for our safety after he hit Lizzy and she knew she had to get us away from here. She also knew she couldn't handle three children alone so she sent Lizzy and Jake to my uncles and she took me north. Lizzy was three and Jake was five and they were old enough to remember her, but she was afraid if she gave me to my uncle I wouldn't remember her the next time she saw us, which was two years later. So she kept me and we lived in an apartment for two years in New York. My dad ended up going to rehab for those two years and came out clean. He came to New York and begged my mother for forgiveness and to give him another try."

Tony squeezed her hand, "So she did?"

Pepper nodded, "So the years I developed speech I lived in New York and not Louisiana. A southern accent was foreign to me and I didn't develop it like Lizzy and Jake did."

Tony nods and kisses her cheek, "Did you remember Lizzy and Jake when you moved back?"

Pepper shook her head, "I remembered the idea of them and it was hard when we all moved back together because they had become so close and I was just there. They remembered me prior to going to live with my uncle and they were happy to see me, but to me they were strangers."

She rests her head on his shoulder and he wraps his arm around her shoulder to bring her closer. They sat there in silence for a while. He felt Pepper's mood going down hill and knew he had to brighten her spirits. So, he pulled her up from the bed with both hands and led her out of the room. She frowned, but all he said was, "Just follow me."

He had her wait by the patio door before grabbing a towel and pulling her outside. He laid it out and pulled her gently down so she rest beside him. They watched the stars until she dozed off. Tony looked down at her and as he did another memory flashed into his mind in what he assumed was their bedroom back at home. It was night and he was just watching her rest. She had her head rested against him just like now. After about twenty minutes her parents came home with food and he gently woke Pepper. She smiled when she saw him and he helped her up. In his mind, things were starting to piece together with his relationship, but he seemed to still be missing a major thing in his life.

* * *

"So we're just going to let Stark go then?" Maria asks. Fury called a meeting at the new avengers headquarters in Dallas with all of the avengers minus Tony to discuss what to do next.

"I would not anger Lady Potts," Thor advises. Steve nods in agreement. "She is right as is the doctors. He needs to remember in his own time."

"Time is not something we are granted," Fury argues. "The enemies will not stop going after him because he cannot remember. If anything, he is most vulnerable now."

Natasha sighs, "It is a delicate situation that you handled the wrong way, Fury. You should have let either me or Banner talk to Ms. Potts rather than send us in as spies. If he can't remember his relationship with Pepper right away then he most certainly wouldn't remember us on his own."

"I'm sorry but I agree with Director Fury," Maria says. Clint rolls his eyes. "We cannot let him be out there and alone nor can we prolong the recovery period."

Steve slammed a fist on the table and stood up, "What the hell is the matter with you SHIELD people? In his mind he was still in Afghanistan being tortured for goodness sakes! Have you ever considered that his mind doesn't want him to remember all of this? He's remembering what really matters to him first."

Clint nodded in agreement and picked up the argument. "Look you told us he remembered Yinsen and Agent Coulson and from what Banner has told us he has remembered Pepper's parents. He's remembering what is closest to him first and the things that mean the most to him."

Steve flashes back to Tony's reaction to Coulson's death...

_He remembers seeing Tony standing near where Loki killed Coulson. He was staring out to where the detention cell was that held Loki before Loki dropped it with Thor inside._

"_Was he married?" he asks Tony. Tony just keeps staring until his brain registers the question._

"_No, there was a umm cellist, I think."_

_Between him, Tony, Banner, and Thor Tony's known Coulson the longest. _

"_I'm sorry, he seemed like a good man."_

_And then Tony's face suddenly changed and he was no longer staring into space. Tony finally looks up at Steve._

"_He was an idiot."_

"_Why? For believing?"_

"_For taking on Loki alone."_

_He sighs and watches Tony come towards him. "He was doing his job."_

_Tony made a disgusted face, "He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have..."_

"_Sometimes there isn't a way out Tony."_

_Tony rolls his eyes and walks past Steve. "Right, I've heard that before."_

_Steve can feel Tony's usual cocky defense building to hide his pain. "Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?" He asks to Tony's back. Tony spins around with anger in his eyes._

"_We are not soldiers!"_

"Iron Man is important and Tony knows that." Maria states taking Steve out of his flashback.

"Well technically he doesn't." Clint mumbles. Natasha shakes her head and heads for the door.

"Excuse me you have not been dismissed Agent Romanoff." Fury snaps. Natasha turns and glares at him.

"I refuse to be a part of your scheme. It's inhuman what you're doing to him."

"You work for SHIELD therefore you cannot decide which OP you do and don't work." Maria snaps back before Fury can. Natasha shakes her head and bites her tongue. She then reaches to her side and pulls her badge and throws it on the table. Everybody's eyes go wide and they watch her walk out. Clint takes a deep breath and does the same only throws his badge a bit harder onto the glass table nearly cracking it. Thor puts his hand out and his hammer comes to him from its resting place behind Fury in the glass case next to Captain America's SHIELD. He follows Clint and Natasha. Steve and Banner look at each other. Steve stands up and heads for his SHIELD when Fury steps in front of him.

"I wouldn't do that," Banner says and comes up behind Fury. "Unless you want me to get very angry."

Steve brushes past Fury, smashes the glass and takes his SHIELD. He heads for the door with Banner at his heels. They meet the other avengers outside where their cars are minus Thor.

"Now what do we do?" Steve asks as he approaches them. Thor sighs,

"I have been away from Asgard for far too long. Jane and I will be returning this evening. For now, all I can give are my best wishes Stark recovers."

Banner nods in agreement. "Betty and I are traveling to Brazil for a while to help sick children."

Natasha sighs, "I have red in my ledger back home that I need to wipe."

Clint stepped towards her, "I'm going with you."

Natasha didn't bother arguing and just nodded. Steve looked at them all in astonishment.

"What, so that's it and we give up? What about Stark?"

Thor steps forward, "He has Lady Potts and her family. He is not alone." Thor then gives a nod to them before raising his hammer and disappearing off into the sky to find Jane and then return to Asgard.

"I've got to get Betty." Banner says and gets into his car. Natasha takes the driver seat in her car and Clint gets in the passenger seat.

"We're supposed to be a team!" Steve yells at them. Bruce sighs and rolls down his window.

"Finding good players is easy. Getting them to play as a team is another story."

And with that, the two cars pull away and Steve watched them drive off. He then looks down at his shield while he walks to his bike. While the others all have something outside the avengers, Steve doesn't. He gets on the bike and looks at the headquarters once more before driving off without a specific destination. He would just see where he ends up.

* * *

AN: This may or may not conclude this story. I'm debating about making it a trilogy and jumping in time. Please leave any thoughts as to where you think I should go. If I chose to make a new story I will make sure to inform all of my readers on this story and what the name of the new one is.


	29. Chapter 29

AN: Perhaps there was a bit of confusion in my message at the end of last chapter, I am still going to continue this storyline, my question was whether or not it should be in THIS story or I create a NEW story with the SAME plot line rather than keep it here and have many chapters. So I guess you get another chapter since I'm bored today haha I may be pushing the rating just a little bit...

* * *

Tony was sitting in Pepper's bed waiting for her to get back from the bathroom and go to sleep. He was staring down at his arc reactor. He knows there is a giant one at his company in California (or there was), but he was amazed it actually worked and was keeping him alive. He frowned, where was Obadiah? Surely he would have called or visited by now to be sure Tony was okay. He heard the door open and Pepper came in just dressed in a robe. She looked to be in a bit of pain.

"Are you alright, Pep?" Tony asks. Pepper nods as she rubs her back.

"My back just hurts from carrying the little one."

Tony motions for her to sit down and he comes up behind her and begins massaging her shoulders and lower back. When she lets out a moan he knows she loves it.

"Pepper, why hasn't Obie called yet to see if I'm okay?"

Pepper bites her tongue and doesn't answer. She isn't supposed to, but she feels she must or he'll get the wrong idea. Pepper turns and looks at him.

"I can't say much, but basically you... defeated him because he was trying to kill me."

Tony's eyes go wide and then he frowns, "What do you mean defeat? You mean I... I killed him?"

Pepper took his hand, "Not on purpose. That is just how it ended up."

She ran a hand through his hair before standing up to discard her robe. Tony's eyes went wide when he looked at her. He knew he must have seen her naked before, but he couldn't remember. He then looked and saw she had the Stark Industries tattoo on her hip and he smiled. He remembered her getting that. He then remembered he was going to get one, too. Pepper sat down on the bed and got under the covers. Tony did the same and turned the lights off. He reached for her and found her hip.

"I remember you getting that," he whispers. Pepper smiles and kisses him. "I also remember I was going to get one over my heart... your name and... and..." he says and closes his eyes to try and think. "Will's name..."

Pepper gasped and kissed him again this time with more passion. He assumed he got it right. He smiled as he kissed her, which made her smile. Tony brought her as close as he could, but it was hard with her stomach being the size it was. Tony could feel himself reacting down below as they continued to kiss and soon Pepper felt it against her.

"I'm sorry..." Tony mumbles and goes to move away when Pepper locks her arms around his neck and keeps him close.

"Don't ever be sorry for that." she whispers and kisses him again. Tony's arms wrap around her and his hands lands on her butt. He could hear the changing in her breathing and she could hear the change in his.

"You're parents though... they'll hear," Tony panted after kissing her for so long. Pepper then remembered when her parents caught them in the act and how embarrassed she was. Then she felt Tony up against her again and the memory was pushed out of her mind. She wanted him and she wanted him now. She slowly rolled onto her side so that Tony's front was up against her back. "I won't hurt the baby right?"

Pepper shook her head and gasped when he slowly entered her from behind.

* * *

William was awake watching the weather channel on mute in his and Rebecca's room while Rebecca was reading a book. William was about to drift off when he heard the bed springs squeak in the other room and the sounds of two people breathing really fast. He groaned and put a pillow over his head while Rebecca chuckled.

"Why must they do that?" he mumbles into the pillow and Rebecca rolled her eyes.

"She's pregnant and she has hormones, plus I imagine they both need comforting after everything that has happened."

William sighed and kept the pillow over his ears.

* * *

The following morning Tony and Pepper woke up around the same time and put their pajamas back on before going out into the kitchen. Pepper took his hand and they walked into the kitchen hand in hand. William was sitting at the table reading the newspaper while Rebecca prepared french toast for breakfast.

"Good morning!" Rebecca said cheerfully to them as she brought the food over to the table. "Sleep well?"

Pepper and Tony nodded without any comment. Rebecca kindly put the food on their plates for them and then went to grab some fruit from the fridge, minus strawberries of course.

"So Stark remember anything important overnight?" William asks without looking up from the paper. Pepper drops her fork.

"Dad!" "William!" Pepper and Rebecca say at the same time. William looks up,

"What? It's a question!"

Tony cleared his throat so the three of them would stop arguing and fighting. They all turned and looked at him,

"I remembered last night we are going to name the baby Will if it is a boy."

Rebecca grinned and attacked him with a hug, which caught Tony off guard but he returned the hug. William just smiled and remained in his seat. Once breakfast was done, Pepper went to shower while Rebecca and William did some gardening, which left Tony to do whatever he felt like. He wandered around the living room and looked at all the pictures on the mantel of when Pepper was little. He smiled as he saw her progress through her life. She looked like a happy child, after her time away from here. He then found a scrapbook labeled "Wedding" and he pulled it out with curiosity. He didn't expect to find pictures of him and Pepper in it. He went over to the couch and sat down as he flipped through the pages. He found one of him holding Pepper and she had her arms crossed, but a small smile on her face. He was kissing her cheek while laughing. Off to the side were others with a soccer ball. The next photo was of the two of them in the pool laughing as she splashed him. Eventually he found the wedding pages and he assumed it was his sister, Lizzy's, wedding. There were bridesmaids photos and then one of him and Pepper together. He smiled at how beautiful she looked. However, the next page his smile faded and his mind shot back to a dark place. It was that time that Pepper emerged from the bathroom and went into the living room to look for him. When she saw him and the photo he was looking at she immediately rushed over to Tony.

"Tony..." she whispered and put her arms around him. She heard his jaw click, which was a sign she picked up over the years that meant he was angry.

"That man... he tried to kill you... and everybody else..." Tony said and slammed his hand on the coffee table.

"You... remember him?"

Tony nodded, "But not his name, but I remember he married your sister and... he was a traitor. He wanted to kill you and the baby I can't..."

Pepper pulled him close and closed the scrapbook so he couldn't see Todd's face anymore. She felt him shake a bit and she moved his head so he could look her in the eyes and she moved his hand so it was over her stomach.

"We're both fine and alive," she says softly and kisses him. Tony tries to push it away, but now he has this idea of a memory inside his head that he just can't piece together. Pepper got up and put the scrapbook away and instead pulled out four different movies. "Here, pick a movie and we'll watch it."

Tony looked down at the four in front of him and frowned at two of them, "Really? The Notebook and The Devil Wears Prada?"

Pepper smiled, "Now what are wrong with those?"

Tony smiled and all the bad memories began to fade away again when he heard Pepper laugh. "These are girly, sappy, love stories!"

Pepper laughed, "Oh please the Devils Wears Prada is far from that."

Tony shook his head and went over to where Pepper pulled the movies from so he could look at the wide variety the family had. His face lit up when he saw Toy Story. He turned and put it in the DVD player.

"I haven't seen this movie since I was a kid!" he said with joy. He arranged himself on the couch so Pepper could relax against him as they watched the movie. However, Pepper's mind went elsewhere. While she wanted him to remember the past, the look on his face made her question if remembering all of it would either help or harm him.

* * *

About three fourths of the movie in Pepper and Tony were still on the couch and the door opened. They didn't look up and they heard Rebecca's voice. The voice they didn't expect was Rhodey's.

"Virginia, Rhodey's here I hope that is okay." Rebecca says as she enters the living room with Rhodey. Rhodey looks at the two of them and there is relief in his mind. The two of them were stretched out on the couch with him holding her and his hands on the baby bump. He was afraid that Tony would go back to his old ways. He sat down on the armchair and Rebecca went to get them some drinks. Pepper and Tony didn't bother moving because they were too comfortable.

"How have you been?" Rhodey asks them and smiles when he sees Toy Story is on.

"I've actually been doing alright," Tony answers honestly and Pepper smiles. "I'm remembering bits and pieces of memories."

"What brings you here I thought the military wanted you back?" Pepper asks and she pauses the movie. Rhodey shrugged.

"I took my vacations days I have saved up. It didn't feel right going back knowing your... well not in the best shape."

Tony appreciated the gesture and it felt nice to have his fiance and best friend around.

"Are you staying at a hotel?" Pepper asks and Rhodey nods his response. "Nonsense you can stay in one of our rooms here."

Rhodey hadn't gone to the hotel yet so he accepted the offer and went out to his car to get his stuff. Tony offered to help, but Rhodey said he could handle it, which Pepper was grateful for since she didn't want him moving.

"Which room will he go to since we're in your brother's room?" Tony asks as he kisses her neck. She can't help but let out a soft moan before answering.

"He can pick between mine and Lizzy's." she replies as she swings her arm around to put her hand on the back of his neck so he would keep kissing her neck. He didn't hesitate although he did go red a little when Rebecca walked back in with ice tea. She just smiled at them and then showed Rhodey the rooms he could choose from.

"Sorry my hormones are going a bit crazy." Pepper says after Rebecca caught Tony kissing Pepper's neck. Tony chuckled and whispered in her ear,

"Are you sure it is the hormones?"

Pepper just rolled her eyes with a smile and hit play so they could finish the movie.


End file.
